Specific Project Objectives
The Science and Mathematics Institute (SMI) seeks to provide intense and ongoing teacher development experiences for Kindergarten to fifth grade teachers who are responsible for mathematical instruction. The teachers attend a three-week summer institute and participate in follow-up activities throughout the school year designed to:

1. increase their content knowledge in the science and mathematics disciplines, including the selection and use of appropriate units and procedures for measuring physical properties, the ability to solve problems based on geometric measurements, and estimation of physical properties using standard units of measurement;

2. develop their pedagogical skills in the instruction of measurement and estimation, specifically addressing the cognitive development of Kindergarten to 5th grade students, and the specific student skills and concepts needed to successfully measure and estimate physical properties;

3. model effective instruction through hands-on laboratory and field studies, with a focus on improving students' process skills involved in carrying out extended scientific investigations-the collection, analysis, representation, interpretation, and communication of data; and

4. guide their development of classroom practices to promote a more equitable classroom climate through cooperative learning groups, student use of manipulatives, equitable amount and quality of teacher attention, development of teacher questioning skills, and performance assessment techniques.

The linked table is a summary of the correlation of the specific objectives described above to state and national standards for teaching science and mathematics.
Summary of the Correlation of SMI Objectives to State and National Standards

This page was last updated 04/10/01.
Web Page Author: Debbie Jensen djensen@rice.edu
The SMI Teacher Enhancement Web Site
is part of the Rice University Precollege Web Site
Web Site Master: Marty Daniel martyd@rice.edu