The CMET II project is connecting learning of mathematics of prospective elementary teachers in mathematics content courses with how children understand and learn mathematics. The goals are to 1) enhance understanding of mathematics by pre-service teachers, 2) improve their teaching of mathematics, 3) improve their 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, and 5) facilitate their understanding of connections between the mathematics they teach to the mathematics and technological skills children learn in middle and high school. To achieve these goals, supplementary materials and guides for instructors are being developed for mathematical content courses for elementary teachers. Formative and summative evaluations are being conducted at multiple and diverse test sites.
Intellectual Merit CMET II advances knowledge on the integration of research on learning of mathematics by children with learning of teachers, thus providing a mechanism for enhancing and studying the interweaving of content and pedagogy (Ball & Bass, 2000). This original approach is based on the NSF proof-of-concept grant, CCLI-EMD DUE 0126882, which successfully produced pilot materials.
Broader Impacts This project has the potential to significantly impact the preparation of future elementary teachers by providing them with in-depth knowledge of how the subject matter they are learning relates to their future teaching. National dissemination activities include: journal articles, conference presentations, and commercial publication.
