The Connecting Mathematics for Elementary Teachers (CMET) project is connecting prospective elementary teachers' learning of mathematics in mathematics content courses with how children understand and learn mathematics. The goals are to 1) enhance pre-service teachers' understanding of mathematics, 2) improve their teaching of mathematics, 3) improve prospective elementary teachers' understanding of how children learn and understand mathematics, 4) help them connect the mathematics they are learning with the mathematical concepts they will be teaching children, and 5) facilitate prospective elementary teachers understanding of the connection between the mathematics they will be teaching in elementary school to the mathematics and technological skills children learn in middle and high school. To achieve these goals, supplementary materials are being developed for one 3-credit hour mathematical content course for elementary teachers. An expanded supplement of teaching notes is being developed for the instructors. The materials explore how children learn and understand mathematics, the mathematics actually taught in the elementary school, and the important connections at the elementary level to mathematics and the technological skills children learn in middle and secondary school. The project is emphasizing mathematics from children's perspectives and how this is directly related to the mathematics they are learning and will be teaching children. The materials are being evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively for their effectiveness at a test site. This project provides future teachers in-depth knowledge of how the subject matter they are learning relates to their future teaching.
