The NAE-MIT Challenges

07 December 2016

The end of the first MIT challenge is here, where children from EYFS – KS3 have been exploring what makes them curious. Children have brainstormed curious questions, became experts on these questions and represented these questions in some form e.g. models, posters, music etc.

The MIT curiosity challenge was important in setting the stage to the NAE-MIT collaboration, as curiosity drives and ignites our passion and creativity.

The next challenge poses a very real and meaningful question to our children: What problems can we identify in our local environment and how can we generate awareness of these problems? This challenge provides a real world and meaningful connection to the children’s learning, which is at the heart of what the NAE-MIT collaboration is trying to achieve. The second challenge will be launched immediately after the children return from Winter break (9^th January). The aim of this challenge is for children to:

Discuss and identify environmental issues within Warsaw
Focus on identifying and collecting real and meaningful datathat surrounds the environmental issue.
Interacting with and reaching out to people and organisations who have expertise on the selected issue (this may include asking for expert speakers to come in and talk to the children).
Creating and sharing a data story to make people aware that this problem is real and important, and potentially suggesting recommendations for helping fix the problem.

During the teacher professional development at MIT, last summer, data was identified as a huge area of importance in the 21^st century landscape – something which NAE and MIT are looking to develop within our children’s learning, throughout this collaboration. The collaboration and challenges also have core altruistic dimensions, which seeks to enable and encourage our children to seek and create meaningful change in the world we live in. This challenge also aims at further fostering key 21^st century skills and learning outcomes, that includes: collaboration, communication (through data) and creativity, innovation, critical thinking and problem solving.

Further NAE/MIT notices:

Soon we will also be starting the selection process for Year 6 pupils to attend the NAEMIT science festival in April 2016. More information will be released soon.

In Term 2. There will be a parent seminar on the collaboration – date to be released soon. This will give parents a more in-depth overview of the aims of the MIT collaboration and what it is all about.

Remember to check twitter hashtag #NAEMIT for updates on the challenges and collaboration!