The BLOSSOMS Initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

BLOSSOMS INITIATIVE OF MIT - ATTEND A WORKSHOP, MAKE A SCIENCE LEARNING VIDEO

MIT BLOSSOMS and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education are looking for Massachusetts high school science teachers to participate in the development of new interactive video‐based lessons aligned to new science and technology/engineering standards. These lessons, created here in Massachusetts by individual science teachers or small teams of science teachers, will become valuable educational resources within the Commonwealth and important tools in supporting the transition to new state science standards. Each teacher or teacher team will earn $1,000 as a token of appreciation for the successful completion of one of the ten selected lessons.

Informational Workshops:

• May 20th, 4:00 – 5:30 PM Sturbridge Hotel and Conference Center, Sturbridge
• May 28th, 4:00 – 5:30 PM MIT, Tang Center, Kendall Square, Cambridge
• •May 29th, 4:00 ‐ 5:30 PM West Springfield Clarion Hotel, Springfield

To sign up, receive travel directions for a workshop, or for more general information, contact MIT BLOSSOMS Project Manager Elizabeth Murray at emurray@MIT.EDU.

Read after the jump to learn more!

MIT BLOSSOMS is an educational initiative creating a free online repository of interactive video lessons for high school STEM classes. The focus is on building critical thinking skills in students, on exciting them about STEM subjects, and showing them the relevance of STEM in everyday lives. MIT BLOSSOMS produces lessons, not courses, and each lesson follows a well-defined pedagogical and instructional design. It has to be engaging, interactive, thought-provoking, and involve critical thinking. It contains challenging questions and activities that invite students to think critically and collaboratively. Visit http://blossoms.mit.edu/.

This program with MIT BLOSSOMS is directed at new teaching and learning styles that are advocated by the National Research Council’s A Framework for K12 Science Education and will be reflected in any new Massachusetts Framework. Emphasis on science and engineering practices will be a major breakaway from traditional science teaching. Massachusetts science teachers participating in an MIT BLOSSOMS workshop will gain insight into the BLOSSOMS pedagogical methods ‐ created by a team of educators at MIT ‐ that are very much in line with the upcoming state STE Framework.

Teachers interested in creating new lesson resources will be invited to participate in a two-day workshop at MIT in July. All participating teachers will engage in training on BLOSSOMS pedagogical methods, with the possibility of creating one of the ten new lesson resources.