MIT Stem Pals
 
 
January-February 2016
 
 

MIT Looks to Make the World a Better Place
From Claudia Urrea

Claudia UrreaFollowing the recommendations of The Future of MIT Education Task Force Report, MIT is launching the new pK-12 Action Group that brings MIT’s unique “mens et manus” (Mind and Hand) approach to learning beyond the campus to learners and educators of all ages, building upon existing efforts and developing new ones. This Action Group will fill a growing need in STEM education by initiating new research, design, and outreach programs that will transform how students learn – and our understanding of how students learn. It will engage MIT faculty, staff, students, and researchers in pursuing two major, interconnected goals: 1) Changing the World through Learning – Bringing the MIT hands-on, minds-on approach to pre-kindergarten through grade 12 (pK-12) learners and educators through the development of new technologies, services, and curricula. These will range from low-cost laboratory instruments and innovative computing environments to new strategies for connecting learners around the world; and 2) Changing the World of Learning, by advancing understanding of what we know about teaching and learning through a diverse set of research methodologies, from basic cognitive science and neuroscience to design-based research and classroom experiments.

MIT aims to advance the use of contemporary tools and practices to catalyze the transformation of formal and informal pK-12 STEM education. By doing this, it seeks to expand the pipeline of future engineers and scientists for fields vital to the future of the world – while also providing opportunities for all learners (including those not planning STEM careers) to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the ideas, practices, and possibilities of science and engineering in today’s society. MIT also aims to pursue innovative scientific research that can transform the future of learning and education.

Under the leadership of Professor Angela Belcher, the Action Group brings together an exceptional group of faculty and researchers from across MIT, deeply passionate and committed to “develop communities of future thinkers and doers of the planet to make the world a better place,” says Professor Belcher.

Claudia Urrea, Ph.D. is a lecturer and researcher at the MIT Office of Digital Learning (ODL), with particular focus on the MIT pK-12 Action Group (or pK-12 education). The photo above was taken by Michael Massey.

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