Dr. Elizabeth Davis

Biography

Elizabeth (Betsy) Davis is a science educator, teacher educator, and learning scientist. She is interested in engaging beginning and experienced elementary teachers in rigorous, equitable science teaching and the roles of curriculum materials in practice-based teacher education promoting teacher learning. Davis chaired the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) consensus committee that developed the report on science and engineering for preschool and elementary grades, emphasizing children’s brilliance and educators’ strengths. She heads the ASSETS project, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), which focuses on supporting equity and justice in science teaching and teacher education for elementary teachers. The project follows novice teachers through their elementary teacher education program and early years of teaching. Moreover, Davis has contributed to various NSF-funded projects aimed at enhancing elementary science instruction. She teaches graduate courses in Educational Studies and Elementary Teacher Education programs, including Elementary Science Methods. In 1998, she received her doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley and was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers by the White House in 2002. Selected as an AERA Fellow in 2024, her co-authored book "Sensemaking Elementary Science: Supporting Teacher Learning" was published by Routledge in 2020.

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