Tara Mathien
Clinical Assistant Professor
Phone
352-273-4285
Address
3003 Norman Hall, Gainesville FL, 32601
Connect
About
Dr. Mathien, a Clinical Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Florida and affiliate of the Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies, holds an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction Leadership from Northern Illinois University. Her research interests encompass early childhood education teacher preparation, coaching and technology-enhanced clinical field experiences, internationalizing curriculum virtual exchange, and professional learning for early childhood practitioners, as well as, adult learners, particularly in online environments.
As Program Area Leader for Early Childhood Studies for the department of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies, she oversees program development. Dr. Mathien advises the KiddieLand Bilingual Child Care Program in Zurich, Switzerland, focusing on developmentally appropriate practices and program administration. Formerly Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at William Rainey Harper College, in Illinois she has collaborated on statewide initiatives in Florida, Illinois, and Switzerland, offering expertise in professional learning, curriculum, and classroom environments. Dr. Mathien’s is Chair of the AACTE International Teacher Education TAG and frequently presents at national and international conferences. Her diverse teaching experience includes Head Start, charter schools, and private institutions, enriching her contributions to the field of early childhood studies.
As Program Area Leader for Early Childhood Studies for the department of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies, she oversees program development. Dr. Mathien advises the KiddieLand Bilingual Child Care Program in Zurich, Switzerland, focusing on developmentally appropriate practices and program administration. Formerly Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at William Rainey Harper College, in Illinois she has collaborated on statewide initiatives in Florida, Illinois, and Switzerland, offering expertise in professional learning, curriculum, and classroom environments. Dr. Mathien’s is Chair of the AACTE International Teacher Education TAG and frequently presents at national and international conferences. Her diverse teaching experience includes Head Start, charter schools, and private institutions, enriching her contributions to the field of early childhood studies.
Affiliations
- School of Special Education School Psychology and Early Childhood Studies
- Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies
- American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE)
Research Interests
Community College, Curriculum Development, Early Childhood, Field Experience, International Education, Online and Distance Education, Preservice Teacher Education, Primary / Elementary, Professional Development in Early Childhood, Teacher Education, Teaching and Licensure
Education
- Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction Leadership, 2016 Northern Illinois University
- M.S. in Child Development and Administration, 2007 Erikson Institute
- B.A. in Early Childhood Education, 2003 Illinois State University
Professional Appointments
- Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Florida, 2017 - Present
- Coordinator, Unified Early Childhood Program, University of Florida, 2017 - Present
- Assistant Professor and Coordinator, Early Childhood Education Department, Harper College, 2007 - 2017
Activities and Honors
- Chair, AACTE International Teacher Education Topical Action Group
- Teaching Excellence Fellow, University of Florida Center for Teaching Excellence | 2022 - 2023
- International Educator of the Year, University of Florida College of Education and UF International Center | 2022 - 2023 & 2018 - 2019
- Curriculum committee representative, University of Florida, 2017 - present
- Vice chair of Student Success Policy Council, Harper College, 2014 - 2017
- Faculty senator, Harper College, 2013 - 2017
Selected Grants
Project ECHO
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- UF Presidential Strategic Funding Initiative
Project Period
- 2023-2027
Award Amount
- $470,000
Early Childhood Education Perspectives in Nepal
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- UF COE
Project Period
- 2018-2019
Award Amount
- $5000
High Scope Implementation Project
Role
- Co-PI
Funding Agency
- Harper College Resources for Excellence
Project Period
- 2015-2017
Award Amount
- $20,000
Early Childhood Partnership Innovation Grant
Role
- Co-PI
Funding Agency
- Illinois Department of Education
Project Period
- 2014-2016
Award Amount
- $15,000
High/Scope Curriculum Change Continuation Project,
Funding Agency
- Harper College Resources for Excellence Grant
Project Period
- 2015-2016
Co-Leader - Early Childhood Partnership Innovation Grant
Funding Agency
- Roosevelt University and Harold Washington College
Project Period
- 2014-2016
Selected Publications
Books / Book Chapters
- Brown, T., Chapman, L., Mathien, T., & Gonsalves, V. (2023). The Anti-Syllabus as a Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Approach to Online Instruction. In Culturally Responsive Curriculum in Higher Education.
- Chapman, L. & Mathien, T. (2021). Remote Teacher Preparation Amidst Covid-19: Creating Trauma-Informed Communities of Inquiry. In Crawford, C. M. (Ed.), Shifting to Online Learning Through Faculty Collaborative Support (pp. 248-264). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-6944-3
Articles
- Flynn, J., James, R., Mathien, T., Mitchell, P., & Whalen, S. (2017). The overlooked context: Pedagogies for engagement and empowerment at the community college. Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue, 19(1).
Presentations
- Mathien, T. (2024, February). “Rethinking Virtual Exchange (VE) Practices: A Hands-On Opportunity to Enhance Current and Planned VE Projects,” Valiant Conference, León, Spain.
- Mathien, T. (2022, March). “No Turning Back Now: Trauma-Informed Communities of Inquiry as a Foundation for Rethinking Preservice Educator Preparation,” American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education Annual Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Mathien, T. (2020, February). "Using Practice-based Coaching to Construct Robust Clinical Placement Experiences that Support Preservice Educators Sustained Use of Recommended Teaching Practices," AACTE conference, Atlanta, Georgia.
Other Publications
- Kerkhoff, S., Tanghe, S., and Mathien. T. (2021, October 25). Six Myths of Global Education. Ed Prep Matters. https://edprepmatters.net/2021/10/six-myths-of-global-education/
- Gangone, L. (Host). (2021, August 20). Jack be nimble [Audio podcast episode]. In Revolutionizing Education. American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. https://aacte.org/communications/podcast/
- Flynn, J., James, R., Mathien, T., Mitchell, P., & Whalen, S. (2017). The overlooked context: Pedagogies for engagement and empowerment at the community college. Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue, 19(1).
- Mathien, T., Nepstad, C., Potenza, A., & Kim, J. (2016). Building on trust: How three institutions came together to create an innovative partnership for student transfer. In S. Bernoteit, J. Darragh-Ernst, & N. Latham (Eds.), Voices from the field: Collaborative innovations in early childhood educator preparation (pp. 103-121). Edwardsville, IL: Illinois Education Research Council and Illinois Board of Higher Education.