Robert B. Davis Papers

A distinguished educator known internationally for ambitious, fundamental, innovative work on the teaching and learning of mathematics, Robert Benjamin Davis helped establish mathematics education as a field of inquiry in its own right. His influence continues to be felt by teachers and students at every age and level. Born on June 23, 1926 in Fall River, Massachusetts, Davis received his PhD in 1951 from the Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He and his wife Rose had a daughter, Alexandrea, and a son, Paul.

Davis's main teaching assignments include MIT (1946-1951), University of New Hampshire (1951-1956), Syracuse University (1956-1972), University of Illinois (1972-1988) and Rutgers University (1988-1997). Professor Davis's work focused on five themes: 1) developing new curriculum and pedagogical approaches by classroom interventions; 2) designing and creating lessons based on computer interactions with students; 3) designing and implementing in-service teacher education; 4) contributing to the development of a theoretical basis for understanding human mathematical thought; and 5) contributing to the creation of a more effective dialog on mathematics education.

Davis was internationally known for the Madison Project (1957), which involved the creation of an improved mathematics curriculum for grades 2-9. This effort combined a new curriculum with pathbreaking teaching practices. In 1972, while at the University of Illinois, Davis developed mathematics courseware for the PLATO CAI (Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operation) (Computer-Assisted Instruction) system, for grades 3-7. These materials build on the Madison Project's approach and develop it in new directions.

Another area in which Davis' work remains fundamental was the introduction of new perspectives drawn from cognitive science to reshape, and make more rigorous, the ways that we investigate and conceptualize how mathematics can be learned. Starting in 1971, such research was made available through the Journal of Mathematical Behavior (originally named The Journal of Children's Mathematical Behavior, which Davis founded; through a major book-length research study, Learning Mathematics: The Cognitive Science Approach to Mathematics Education; and through many influential papers in a range of research journals.

Davis made major presentations and led seminars, both in the US and abroad, based on his fundamental research and the teaching innovations that he pioneered. In addition, he participated in the BACOMET (an international group of math educators), and took part in a major planning group on education in the sciences organized in Washington, DC, by the National Academy of Science.

Starting in 1969, Davis was one of the main mathematical advisors for the Children's Television Workshop's series, Sesame Street and from 1969 to 1972, was a participant in the original research and development project that developed the computer programming language, LOGO.

On July 1, 1988, Professor Davis was appointed New Jersey Professor of Mathematics Education at Rutgers University. In the Fall of 1988, he helped to establish the Rutgers–New Brunswick Project on School Mathematics with Carolyn Maher. This project provided in-service education for all elementary teachers in New Brunswick and for all secondary teachers who dealt with mathematics, and included the development of new instructional materials and teaching practices.

Davis introduced the use of film and videotape as classroom tools that provide working teachers with the ability to reflect on how they and their students build and share their understanding. A pioneering mathematics educator and pathbreaking scholar for more than half a century, Robert B. Davis died of a heart attack on December 21, 1997. The Robert B. Davis Institute for Learning (RBDIL) at Rutgers Graduate School of Education is named in his honor.