9354692 LoPresti Wheelock College is undertaking a three year project, Focus on Science, which runs simultaneously with the pre-service collaborative project Teacher Education Addressing Mathematics and Science in Boston and Cambridge (TEAMS-BC). Through TEAMS-BC, Wheelock College faculty are developing new courses and revising existing courses in science and mathematics education in order to develop a coordinated science and mathematics program for students in elementary and early childhood education. In addition, Wheelock is working closely with professional development schools in Boston and Cambridge to assure that the field experiences of students support their learning in science and mathematics for children. This project focuses on the implementation of an intensive formative assessment process within the courses undergoing change, to both document and analyze student growth, and to develop assessment practices that are embedded into the design of the new courses. This project also supports collaborative efforts with the Martin Luther King, Jr. School in Cambridge to build a professional development school. Teachers and faculty are working closely together to build the science teaching capacity at the school, to provide the clinical experience for students that will enhance their skills in teaching science to children, and to reach out to the community of the school.
