Natalie Davis

Davis is a learning scientist who studies the relationship(s) between teaching and learning, cultural ecologies and the sociopolitical development of children from non-dominant communities, with emphasis on the educational experiences and place-based understandings of city-dwelling Black children. Her work considers if/how our methodological frameworks, theories and practices demonstrate kinship with youth, advancing pedagogical innovations that intervene on the adult-centered discourses that have characterized the field. Natalie is a former postdoctoral research fellow in the Learning Sciences at Northwestern University, where she focused on micro-ethnographic analyses of children’s thinking and self-determination in community-based STEAM learning environments.

Davis has collaborated with museums, makerspaces, non-profit youth-serving organizations, and schools to design curriculum and conduct professional development on topics related to environmental justice, imagination, children’s knowing and the enactment of critical pedagogies. Her work has been disseminated in highly-regarded academic journals such as Cognition & Instruction; Race, Ethnicity & Education; Review of Research in Education; Learning, Culture & Social Interaction and, via public outlets such as NPR, the STEM for All Multiplex, Michigan Talk Radio and the Leading Equity Podcast. Natalie received her PhD. in Educational Foundations from the University of Michigan. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and Secondary Science Education from Columbia University and a M.A. in Elementary Teaching. Prior to graduate school, Natalie taught 3rd grade in an African-centered school. Natalie grew up on the Westside of Detroit and is a proud graduate of Cass Technical High School.