The Museum Institute for Teaching Science (MITS, Inc.) is a non-profit organization that promotes the teaching of science, math and technology using a hands-on inquiry method of teaching. We train Massachusetts elementary teachers by running two-week Summer Workshops at museums throughout the state, using museum education staff as our instructors. This way, teachers learn new ways to teach science as well as how to use the museum resources available in their area. Since 1992, MITS has trained over 700 teachers through the workshops.
MITS also holds a series of Professional Development Seminars for museum educators each winter to keep them up to date on current classroom teaching practices and provide assistance in implementing the Massachusetts Frameworks for Math and Science and PALMS principles and methods.
As a result of their participation with the MITS summer workshops, many museums in Massachusetts are now part of the MITS collaborative, sharing resources and ideas, working together to promote the use of museums, zoos, nature centers, aquaria and arboreta as educational as well as cultural resource centers for schools in their area. MITS now publishes MITS BITS, a newsletter to keep museum personnel informed of what is going on at other sites around the state, to advertise new exhibits and programs of interest as well as positions available, fundraising opportunities and upcoming conferences.
MITS also publishes a teaching resource magazine for K-6 teachers. Science Is Elementary is published quarterly with each issue focusing on one topic. Background information is provided for the teacher as well as many hands-on/minds-on lessons. Also listed are books, software, and other resources teachers can order. MITS is currently producing Volume 7, four issues on the theme of Biodiversity. In addition, Volumes 4 through 6 are still available for purchase in English, and Volumes 4 and 5 have recently been translated into Spanish.
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