UW education research featured at national forum

The university’s math education research is getting national attention as part of the ” Decade of Behavior” initiative developed to increase public support for behavioral and social science research.

Thomas P. Carpenter and Elizabeth Fennema, along with local teachers, recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to do a presentation for lawmakers and others on the research.

The 15-plus year education research program indicates that young children enter school with a base of informal mathematical knowledge and are capable of learning more substantive mathematics than traditionally expected.

Out of this finding has evolved Cognitively Guided Instruction, a teacher professional development program that helps teachers to understand children’s mathematical thinking and to build on this knowledge in the classroom.

Data show that the CGI program results in significant changes in how teachers teach and yields significant student gains in problem-solving. This research is supported in part by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education.

The Decade of Behavior kickoff event in late September brought members of Congress, federal agency officials and scientists together to discuss cutting-edge social scientific and behavioral research. UW–Madison was featured among 13 research exhibits that together covered five major themes: a better educated nation, a healthier nation, a safer nation, a more prosperous nation, and a more democratic nation.

Carpenter, director of the National Center for Improving Student Learning and Achievement in Mathematics and Science, and Fennema talked with leaders of federal agencies and Congressional staff about the CGI professional development program and its encouraging impacts.

More than 50 major scientific organizations have formally endorsed the initiative. Many projects are underway, including plans for a prime time PBS video series on “Human Behavior: The Inner Frontier.”