The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s School of Education, Hamilton County Schools and local PBS station WTCI have partnered to record and broadcast short lessons for K-12 students to improve their math and literacy skills.
“The goal is just to serve as an additional learning resource for children, for families, to support K-12 education,” said Kendra Duncan, of the UTC School of Education. “Here in Hamilton County, the emphasis is on early childhood education, so pre-K-2, but our UTC students are creating content pre-K-12.”
The lessons are typically 6 to 12 minutes in length and sometimes up to 24 minutes. There are also “brain breaks” that focus on concepts like mindfulness or reminding children how to wear masks correctly.
Students from UTC’s School of Education will record lessons along with students in other UTC programs, such as the master of public health program. Additionally, teachers in Hamilton County Schools and high school students in the UTC Institute of Teaching and Learning, a Future Ready Institute at Tyner Academy, will record lessons.
The channel is active and broadcasts K-12 learning content from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., said Alea Tveit, education outreach coordinator at WTCI. Eventually, content made by teachers and students at UTC and Hamilton County Schools will contribute to that 12 hours of programming a day, along with state and national PBS educators.