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Education in Math, Science & Technology
Overview
The M.A. and Ph.D. programs in EMST prepare students to understand and improve learning and instruction in mathematics, science, and technology across the lifespan (with emphasis on middle-school through university). These programs seek fresh insights into major educational problems using the perspectives of cognitive science, sociocultural theory, and the resources of modern technology. In the programs, students:
- develop scientific understandings of learning and instruction in mathematics, science, and technology;
- build frameworks and theories (of knowledge organization, of problem solving, of teaching) as well as contributing to the empirical scientific knowledge base for education;
- conduct “design experiments” in which innovative instructional strategies, materials and technologies are crafted in theoretically principled ways, and studied as they are used in classroom settings.
- work in partnership with teachers and with natural scientists.
The program is unusual in emphasizing both conducting research that makes fundamental contributions to the field’s understanding of thinking, teaching, and learning, while also contributing to the solution of practical instructional problems. Foci of faculty work have included the development of instructional units at middle-school, secondary, and collegiate levels; studies of highly effective instruction; and studies of transformative uses of new technology.
The EMST program uses an "apprenticeship" approach to graduate studies. In their first semester, students affiliate with one or more research groups, and are increasingly involved in planning and carrying out research projects. Many EMST courses have empirical projects, which are often the basis for students’ first- and second-year projects and papers for their qualifying examinations. Such coursework and projects establish the base for, and often evolve into, dissertation projects.
Students acquire a firm grounding in the theories and methodology underlying this interdisciplinary specialty through classes, seminars, colloquia, and research in three areas:
- individual and collective cognition (e.g., conceptual change, genetic epistemology, embodied cognition, and metacognition),
- learning and knowledge in the disciplines (e.g., the nature of mathematical problem solving, programming and problem solving), and
- design of instruction (e.g., cognitive consequences of technology, principles of effective physics learning environments productive apprenticeship in disciplines).
Colloquia bring topnotch scientists and educators from around the country to speak at Berkeley on a regular basis.
Students with strong backgrounds in mathematics, science, engineering, computer science, psychology, cognitive science, or technology may apply to obtain an M.A. or Ph.D. The Ph.D. prepares students for careers in university or college research and teaching, professional design of instructional materials, and research for policy and other private or governmental organizations. The M.A. prepares students for Ph.D. studies and for careers in instructional design, educational policy, or educational reform.
Extended DescriptionFocus of Study
Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology (EMST) is a unique, pioneering program of studies in mathematics, science and technology education. It features:
- A research focus on fundamental problems of learning and instruction.
- A parallel concern for principled renewal and innovation in wide-spread educational practice.
- A basis in cognitive science, including anthropological and sociological inquiries into the ways in which learning takes place in situ.
- A commitment to the rigorous use of a wide range of evidence and methods for understanding thinking and learning.
- A commitment to discipline-specific approaches (e.g., mathematics, physics, biology, computer science) to education.
The development and use of appropriate advanced technology to transform learning and the institutions of education.
Sample research foci within EMST include studies of mathematical thinking and problem solving, cognition in the sciences, embodied cognition, the analysis and design of effective "local cultures" for learning both in and out of school, equity, and the development of distributed and individual computational environments to enhance learning.
The faculty has an especially deep expertise in explorations of individual and collective cognition and the study of learning in particular scientific disciplines. The program draws on complementary expertise from across the School of Education. Students interested in applying to the program should examine faculty web pages and read the sample papers linked to them, in order to get a sense of the work that is done in EMST.
Faculty Members Affiliated with the Program
Dor Abrahamson | Andrea A. diSessa | Randi Engle | Bernard R. Gifford | Marcia C. Linn | Kathleen E. Metz | Michael Ranney | Geoffrey Saxe | Alan H. Schoenfeld | Barbara Y. White
Entrance Requirements
Applicants should have strong backgrounds, ideally with research experience, in cognitive science, psychology, education, or science disciplines (mathematics, biology, etc.).
Type of Program (MA/PhD)
Students may apply for either M.A. only or M.A./Ph.D. degree programs. Typically students earn a M.A. on the way to a Ph.D. Due to the apprenticeship nature of the program, students are expected to be enrolled full time.
Structure of the Program
The EMST program is focused on research and on students’ learning-by-doing from the earliest phases. The EMST course requirements complement the School of Education’s requirements to ensure a broad and scholarly preparation. In addition to required course work, students are expected to complete an independent empirical research project in each of their first two years. Students use their empirical projects to write position papers, which are ideally of publishable quality. The student’s course work and independent research are intended to be overlapping and synergistic.
Apprenticeship is a core value of the community. Every EMST faculty member has a research group, which is a major vehicle for our form of apprenticeship learning. Students enroll in their advisors' research groups every semester, and participate in ongoing discussions of work, including their own. These groups are not proprietary: many students belong to two or more research groups, learning about various faculty's research and getting feedback from a range of faculty and students on their efforts. Early in their student careers the feedback is on course papers, research design, and position papers. Later on, research groups often help students bystaging mock oral examinations and working through the students' dissertations.
Career Paths of Graduates
EMST graduates typically have taken leadership roles in educational research in Schools of Education and other college and university departments across the country. Other graduates have concentrated on teacher training and professionalization. A significant number of graduates have taken positions in "think tanks" or businesses concerned with the development of advanced technology for education.
Who to contact for more information
For additional information about the program contact the CD: EMST office at the Graduate School of Education, 4533 Tolman Hall, tel.: (510) 642-4207, or e-mail Kathryn Capps, the EMST program assistant: kate@berkeley.edu
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