The Museum Institute for Teaching Science (MITS) offers professional development workshops for K-12 teachers and informal educators, in collaboration with over 100 museums, nature centers, etc. to promote “inquiry-based, minds-on, hands-on” STEM education. MITS was founded in the 1980s by seven Boston museums directors concerned about declining numbers of students majoring in science and engineering. MITS will hold the following workshops this year at Clark University in Worcester (9:30AM-3:30PM; cost is $35 each; information and registration at www.mits.org):
- Thursday, January 30: What’s the Weather? The Science and Practice of Meteorology
- Thursday, January 30: Igniting Student Interest in STEM through Engineering
- Thursday, February 27: STEM in Motion: Studying the Mechanics of Movement
- Thursday, February 27: Meeting of the Minds: Teachers and Informal Science Educators Working Together
- Wednesday, March 19: The New Massachusetts Science, Technology/Engineering Curriculum Frameworks: What Do They Mean for You, Your Programs and Your Institution
- Thursday, April 17: Exploring the Biodiversity of Massachusetts: Ants as a Case Study of Exploration and Education
- Thursday, April 17: Science Out of the Shadows: Learning and Teaching Natural Science with Shadow Puppetry