Robert B. Davis Institute for Learning

Director: Carolyn A. Maher, Rutgers-New Brunswick

Associate Director: Arthur B. Powell, Rutgers-Newark

Technology Coordinator: Robert Sigley

Wesbite: http://www.rbdil.org

Scholarly work at the Robert B. Davis Institute for Learning (RBDIL) focuses on the nexus of research and educational practice, particularly issues of learning and teaching in the content areas of mathematics and science. Its mission is twofold: (1) to conduct detailed studies over time and across a variety of educational settings to identify how individual learners and groups of learners construct mathematical and scientific ideas and forms of reasoning; and (2) to use findings and products of research in teacher education for promoting instructional practices through which students develop critical thinking and reasoning abilities grounded in their understanding of mathematics and science.

A particular strength of the Davis Institute is fostering innovative and academically robust collaborations that bridge boundaries of departments, campuses, institutions, and nations. Intellectual leadership emanates from the New Brunswick and Newark campuses of Rutgers, and faculty from diverse departments--computer science, digital library systems, educational psychology, learning and teaching, mathematics, and urban education--are among the Davis Institute's research scientists. Its collaborative partners include faculty researchers at universities in the United States and internationally.

Graduate students at Rutgers pursuing an Ed.M., an Ed.D., or a Ph.D. degree become active partners in research and teacher development initiatives through working with faculty affiliated with the Davis Institute. Projects include: a longitudinal study (now in its 25th year) of development of mathematical ideas and reasoning; a three-year study of informal math learning at the middle school level; eMath studies of collaborative problem solving in an online environment; a study on development conceptual understanding of complex natural systems in middle school science; and cyber-enabled design research using videos on children's learning in preservice and in-service teacher education.

RBDIL also partners with school districts to provide research studies on student learning, program evaluation studies, and professional development for teachers.

For additional information, contact Professor Carolyn Maher, Robert B. Davis Institute for Learning, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 10 Seminary Place, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1183 (phone: 732-932-8848, or email: carolyn.maher@gse.rutgers.edu).