One objective of the Philadelphia CETP project was to develop an early practical experience that focused on mathematics and science for Elementary Education pre-service students. This objective was met the first year of the CETP, when the College of Education designated one of its two required early field experiences to focus on math and science while the other focused on language arts. However, during the first year of implementation we discovered ( through a survey of students) that students were observing little or no math and science teaching and had few or shallow teaching experiences.

We identified several major problems. First, the students were in the classrooms in the morning, a time often dedicated to reading in elementary schools. Second, elementary-certified teachers are frequently weak in science content and devote very little time to teaching science. Third, while elementary teachers do spend considerable time teaching mathematics, they generally focus on only one or two of the standards identified by NCTM and again lack deep understanding of this content area.

To solve these problems, we brought classroom teachers, university methods instructors and university field supervisors together to design a program that would support the science and mathematics teaching standards developed by NCTM and AAAS-2061. The program, now in its fourth year, requires students to take the mathematics and science methods courses and the field course simultaneously. Students work in teams of four in the classroom to develop and teach two eight-lesson units. Both units integrate science and mathematics with one unit driven by the math concept and the other driven by the science concept. Through these units, the pre-service teachers must engage the young students in authentic science and mathematics activities. They must connect with the experience and knowledge of the student while identifying and addressing misconceptions. They must assess student understanding at the completion of the unit using student work to document their statements. During the experience, they are supported not only by the classroom teacher, but also the university supervisor who is at the school site with the students. The methods teachers meet with the teams before they begin each unit and also use topics selected by cooperating teachers as the context for discussing various teaching strategies.

The success of this effort has been documented in two ways. First, the students scores on the Stanford Nine in the six participating schools improved at a higher rate than schools not participating. Second, in a survey of graduates now teaching, the math and science methods course were names twice as frequently as the language arts courses as having a significant impact on their teaching. Graduates found these courses useful because they presented information using hands-on strategies and cooperative learning. They also found the incorporation of standards and benchmarks valuable. They liked the sharing of activities and the presentation of a wide variety of strategies. The graduates also spoke of the importance of the field experiences.