2018-2019-STEAM-Superheroes - Flipbook - Page 33
RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS
The Pedagogy
In addition to connecting Nord Anglia schools with MIT research and innovation, the MIT Challenges—
rooted in MIT’s “Mens et Manus” motto, as well as constructivist and constructionist learning theory—are
a backdrop for schools to explore these teaching and learning strategies:
Interdisciplinary learning is the practice of
bringing knowledge from different subjects to a
single project to solve a complex problem; this
is not limited to the five letters in STEAM! An
interdisciplinary approach allows students to
gain a more complete view of the issues, make
connections between subjects, and come up
with novel solutions. Several subjects can be
applied to each MIT Challenge to reinforce this
approach, and to diversify who can be involved.
interDisciplinary
Studentdriven
Student-driven teaching and
learning allows students to
discover what they are passionate
about within each MIT Challenge.
Teachers will mentor the process
by allotting time and resources for
individual and group exploration.
Hands-on
Hands-on learning can take on different meanings
depending upon the context. For some, it is about
physically touching or building something as part of the
learning process. For others, it means students actively
engaging with the content in some way; e.g. discussion,
debate, building, making decisions. The hands-on
component of the MIT Challenges can take any of these
forms; it should highlight the processes, knowledge, and
skills that make constructivist work valuable.
LEARNING
Collaborative
Collaborative learning is the practice of working
and learning from peers. Not only does this help
students understand the subject better, it trains
them to work in teams in other situations, and
promotes the ethical practices of acknowledging
each individual’s contribution to the group. True
collaboration requires students to recognize
individual strengths and weaknesses and take
on roles that utilize each member’s unique skills
and areas of expertise.
Projectbased
Cross Phase
The projects students create during each MIT Challenge
showcase the knowledge and skills they’ve developed
throughout their education. Projects are inspired by authentic
problems MIT professors are working on; students are guided
through the same learning processes used at MIT. Each MIT
Challenge lays out an overview of the process and provides a
framework for creating a variety of final products.
#NAEMIT
Cross-phase learning goes one step beyond collaboration
by taking students out of their year level groups and
creating groups with a range of ages. These experiences
will vary by school, with the intention of bringing the school
community together in a meaningful way. Students will
bring their year’s unique perspective to the group and learn
to value the contributions of their older and younger peers.
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