The Robert B. Davis Institute for Learning
The Robert B. Davis Institute for Learning at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education
Projects
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Video Mosaic Collaborative
2008-PresentThe Video Mosaic Collaborative (VMC) is a collaboration portal that integrates the Robert B. Davis Institute for Learning Video Collection, a video collection capturing mathematics learning experiences across a range of grades, types of schools and a time span of 20+ years, with a collaboration platform and tools designed to transform mathematics research, teaching and learning. The project is funded by the NSF (Award #DRL-0822204).
The VMC combines innovative research into the teaching and learning process with videos and tools that enable teachers, teacher educators and researchers to analyze and utilize the videos to make new discoveries in math education and the learning sciences. The VMC will be an interactive collaboration space where researchers can make new discoveries and practicing teachers and teacher educators can use and construct interventions for use with classes, individual students and other scenarios, with a high probability of success.
VMC, an NSF grant-funded initiative, will test the hypothesis that interventions that utilize videos and VMC tools are more effective than comparably designed interventions without these components.
For more detailed information about the VMC or to access the videos hosted there, visit our other site at http://www.videomosaic.org
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Kenilworth Longitudinal Study
1989-PresentThe Kenilworth study sought to make a transistion from a rule-based mathematical program to a program that emphasized mathematical reasoning. It was designed to move away from an overemphasis on whole-class performance and rule-based mathematical practices to promoting individual learning, learning as a process, and the building of powerful mathematical ideas or concepts through thoughtful doing of mathematicals. It intended to replace teachers by students at the center of the learning process, while still recognizing the importance of the teachers' role as unusually important for requiring simulatenously a higher mathematical and pedagogical competence. The study followed the same students from grade 1 through their high school graduation and continuing on through college and post college for a sample of the students. The study was funded by the NSF (awards MDR-9053597, REC-9814846, REC-0309062, DRL-0723475)
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Informal Math Learning
2003-2006An after-school longitudinal study funded by NSF (Award # REC-0309062) that investigated the development of mathematical ideas and ways of reasoning of approximately 50 middle-grade students (Grade 6-8) from an urban minority community in New Jersey. The project followed the students as they worked on problem-solving investigations and challenging open-ended tasks in different mathematical domains such as combinatorics, probability, and algebra.
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Colts Neck
1991-1995A three and a half year study funded by the NSF (Award #MDR-3053597) at two different schools in Colts Neck, a suburban/rural community. Classroom conditions were established in which students were invited to work together and conduct thoughtful investigations with appropriate materials. The students explored ideas of fractions and combinatorics before they were formally introduced.
