To engage teachers of math and science and prepare young people for the jobs of the future, we must strengthen STEM curriculum and make instruction and learning more fun and more relevant to real world problem-solving. This requires an understanding of how children learn and a rigorous focus on what works in the classroom; both are priorities in the School’s approach to tackling the challenges of STEM education.

The School of Education houses several faculty and programs, such as the Sacramento Area Science Project and UC Davis Math Project, that are concerned with, conduct research in, and provide professional learning in STEM education.

Through its various research efforts, academic programs, professional development and outreach, the School of Education has contact with and an impact on over 1,000 STEM teachers every year. And, through our CRESS Center, we work with some of the state’s most disadvantaged students, bringing more STEM experiences into their lives.

The state recently acknowledged our leadership in the development of curriculum standards by choosing the Sacramento Area Science Project (a site of the California Science Project) to write the new California State Science Framework.

Research

Cindy Passmore, associate professor in science education, studies how teachers are influenced and impacted by reorganizing their scientific understanding through the process of Model Based Reasoning. Her research has been funded through Innovations in Science Instruction through Modeling (ISIM) with a $1.75 million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation.

Tobin White, assistant professor of mathematics education, is investigating how collaborative problem solving among students using handheld computers can increase learning in algebra.

Rebecca Ambrose, associate professor of mathematics education, studies how students solve math problems and works with mathematics teachers to assess their instruction in light of what she has learned.

Peter Mundy, professor in the School of Education and the School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, is an expert in education and social issues for children with high-functioning autism. A developmental and clinical psychologist, Mundy has been working on defining the nature of autism for the past 26 years. His studies have contributed to the current understanding that joint attention impairments are part of the fundamental features of the early onset of social deficits of children with autism.

Professional Development

Sacramento Area Science Project (SASP)

SASP is a rare partnership between a UC and a CSUS and is responsible for the longest running K-12 science education professional development program in California (Science in the River City – SIRC), in continuous operation since 1986.

Model-Based Instruction: With funding from the National Science Foundation, SASP conducts research on how teachers learn about modeling as a scientific endeavor and incorporate model-based reasoning as an instructional strategy in their classrooms.

Literacy Techniques to Support Science Understanding: Funded through the California Postsecondary Education Commission SASP is exploring the efficacy of using dialogue, reading and writing strategies to support students’ scientific literacy.

Professional Learning Communities: Working with teachers in a variety of settings SASP creates, supports and analyses the ways teachers learn and grow through their participation in learning communities.

Innovations in Science Instruction through Modeling (ISIM): Focused on the adoption and implementation of model-based reasoning in understanding science and science instruction in secondary science education.

Science in the River City (SIRC): K-12 workshop series with strands in elementary science, earth science, life science and physical sciences, providing innovative ideas, lessons and strategies for teachers to use in their classrooms.
Summer Science Institutes: Covering the range of sub-disciplines in science (earth science, biology, chemistry, physics), as well as EL strategies in science, leadership skills, Lesson Study and managing the science classroom.

Edward Teller Education Center (ETEC)

ETEC is a collaborative between the UC Davis School of Education and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), established to provide K-14 teacher professional development in science and technology. The ETEC Teacher Research Academy places k014 teachers in cutting edge science laboratories to develop their science knowledge and skills.

Biotechnology. Teachers in the Biotechnology Academy will develop knowledge and skills in the areas of DNA and protein analysis through hands-on activities in genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics. Highlights include PCR, DNA fingerprinting, column chromatography, protein fingerprinting, and sequencing.

Biophotonics. Biophotonics is a division of biotechnology that studies molecular mechanisms, function and structure in biology and medicine to study tissue at the macro and micro level to detect, diagnose and treat disease. Academy activities include: computer simulation of light/matter interaction, optical methods of biodetection, microscopy, and optics. This program is offered at UC Davis through the Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology (CBST).

Fusion/Astrophysics. The Fusion and Astrophysics Research Academy is designed to give teachers experience in promoting and conducting research using spectroscopy with students. Instruction will help teachers develop their understanding of the properties of electromagnetic radiation and how it is produced. Participants will see how scientists develop knowledge about inaccessible objects like the sun and the interior of fusion reactors using a research grade spectrometer.

Energy Technologies and the Environment. Instruction will help teachers develop their understanding of carbon management and climate change in the biosphere, atmosphere, and ocean systems. Academy participants will explore alternative energy sources and applications such as solar, wind, hydrogen and nuclear.

UC Davis Mathematics Project

The Math Project provides ongoing, research-based professional development programs in mathematics for teachers in grades K-12. These programs are designed to meet needs specified by schools. Programs are tailored to meet individual school and district needs and can address:

• Standards-based instruction
• Universal access
• Supporting textbook adoption
• Using state-adopted instructional materials
• Effective assessment and intervention
• Deepening teachers’ knowledge of mathematics content
• Leadership development in mathematics
• Connecting and interweaving the strands of mathematics
• Developing and implementing a school-based plan for mathematics reform
• Developing problem solving and mathematical reasoning skills
• The development of algebraic thinking and reasoning
• Using technology to support mathematics instruction

Teacher Preparation

California faces a critical shortfall in the number and quality of teachers in our secondary science and mathematics classrooms due to an increase in the number of students who will be entering California high schools in the next five years and an increase in the number of teachers retiring.

Our mathematics credential aims to train and develop teachers to lead in today’s high technology mathematics classroom. We emphasize the use of technology in making mathematics accessible to all students.

Our science credential program will prepare teachers with the knowledge and skills to promote high quality, hands-on science education for California’s diverse classrooms.

Our agricultural education program provides students with an integral blend of theory and practice in the classroom and in the youth organization, Future Farmer’s of America (FFA). UC Davis’ history in agriculture adds to the richness and diversity of our credential program, and we have a strong partnership with the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

Outreach

The UC Davis Young Scholars Program is a summer residential research program designed to expose 40, high achieving high school sophomores and juniors to the world of original research in the natural sciences with emphases on the biological, environmental and agricultural sciences.

Partnerships

The Sacramento Area Science Project is partnering with the Center for Biophotonics in the submission of a new multimillion-dollar grant exploring the understanding and development of curriculum that deeply integrates science and math instruction in secondary schools.

Mathematics and Science Teaching Program at UC Davis (MAST) is part of the UC Science and Mathematics Initiative. This program builds on the long-standing partnership between the School of Education and the departments of geology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and the College of Biological Sciences to offer undergraduates courses and classroom internship opportunities to explore middle and high school math and science teaching careers. MAST’s mission is to increase the number and quality of math and science teachers.