Experiential Learning Track
Teaching + Learning
Find an ELO that makes a difference in PK12 or higher education. There are tremendous needs in the education sector, and MIT students like you can contribute your expertise and ideas.
Teaching and education-focused ELOs exist all over MIT, ranging from traditional TA and tutor roles supporting teaching fellow MIT students to student-run programs and research opportunities developing educational tools for students and teachers around the world.
Explore MIT
- MIT Open Learning | General Resource
- Teaching and Learning Lab | General Resource
- Global Teaching Labs | UG, G
- MITES (MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science) | UG, G
- ESP (Educational Studies Program) | UG, G
- Scheller Teacher Education Program | UG, G
- Grad Student Teaching Development Programs (TLL) | G
Find Your ELO
Many Teaching and Learning ELOs can be found on ELx. Select “Teaching and Learning” under “Type” to see relevant listings.
Many departments hire graduate and undergraduate students to serve as teaching assistants (TAs), learning assistants (LAs), or tutors. Check your department website, keep an eye on your department’s mailing list, or reach out to your department’s academic administrator to learn more about opportunities that may be available to you.
Several student groups at MIT run educational programs during the summer and throughout the academic year. Find relevant student organizations on Engage.
Related Courses
CMS.586[J] Introduction to Education: Looking Forward and Looking Back on Education
One of two introductory subjects on teaching and learning science and mathematics in a variety of K-12 settings. Topics include education and media, education reform, the history of education, simulations, games, and the digital divide. Students gain practical experience through weekly visits to schools, classroom discussions, selected readings, and activities to develop a critical understanding of forces that shape the goals of education.
CMS.587[J] Introduction to Education: Understanding and Evaluating Education
One of two introductory subjects on teaching and learning science and mathematics in a variety of K-12 settings. Topics include student misconceptions, formative assessment, standards and standardized testing, multiple intelligences, and educational technology.
CMS.590[J] Design and Development of Games for Learning
Immerses students in the process of building and testing their own digital and board games in order to better understand how we learn from games. Explores the design and use of games in the classroom in addition to research and development issues associated with computer-based (desktop and handheld) and non-computer-based media.
CMS.594 & CMS.894 Education Technology Studio
Uses media and technology to develop new forms of learning experiences for schools, workplace, and informal settings. Students participate in a range of projects that hone understanding and skills in learning science, instructional design, development, and evaluation. Topics vary but include developing new media and activities for massive open online courses, creating practice spaces for practitioners in the professions and humanities, and developing new approaches to assessment in complex learning environments.
CMS.591[J] Educational Theory and Practice I
Concentrates on a core set of skills and knowledge necessary for teaching in secondary schools. Topics include classroom management, student behavior and motivation, curriculum design, educational reform, and the teaching profession. Classroom observation is a key component.
CMS.592[J] Educational Theory and Practice II
Concentrates on the theory and psychology associated with student learning. Topics include educational theory, educational psychology, and theories of learning.
CMS.593[J] Educational Theory and Practice III
Topics include educational psychology, theories of learning, and using technology and evaluating its effectiveness to enhance student learning.This is the third of the three-course sequence necessary to complete the Teacher Education Program.
CMS.595 & CMS.895 Learning, Media, and Technology
Addresses new digital technologies that are transforming learning across the lifespan – from reading apps for toddlers, intelligent tutors for school children, and blended learning for college students, to MOOCs for adults and interest-based learning communities for hobbyists. Focuses on how these technologies shape people’s lives and learning. Students explore how education technologies operate in complex social-technical systems, and acquire analytic tools and strategies that can be applied to other complex systems.
Teaching and Learning ELOs in Action
News, projects, and profiles of MIT students
Articles
- MIT undergraduates help US high schoolers tackle calculus: The MIT4America Calculus Project is a growing source of tutoring support on a topic that’s a “gateway” to many STEM careers (MIT News)
- Caitlin Morris, a PhD student and 2024 MAD Fellow affiliated with the MIT Media Lab, designs digital learning platforms that make room for the “social magic” that influences curiosity and motivation (MIT News)
- EMERGE program ignites interest in science through hands-on electron microscopy (MIT News)
