Dover Court International School’s Year 6 teacher and Primary IPC/STEAM Lead, Robert Nolan joined 50 Nord Anglia Education teachers from around the world for a week-long visit to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
As a proud member of the Nord Anglia Education (NAE) family of schools, Dover Court has access to the exclusive collaboration with MIT, an institution renowned for its dedication to innovation and learning, which encourages creativity, experimentation and risk-taking, teaching students how to apply these skills to real-world situations.
The MIT Experience
I was honoured to represent DCIS and experience the MIT ethos in June. I joined a team of enthusiastic Nord Anglia teachers from a variety of regions to receive a hands-on training experience from MIT professors, researchers, and renowned academics. Activities included campus tours, professional discussions and workshops with leading engineers, scientists, experts and luminaries about cutting-edge topics such as plasma fusion, bio-engineering, astrophysics, climate action and space exploration.
We attended interesting and informative talks from experienced experts such as NASA astrophysicist Dr Jane Rigby, who discussed her research into galaxy evolution using the James Webb Telescope, and Shon Mackie, a gifted graduate, who is utilising his discoveries in plasma science to help recreate the types of reactions that occur in stars to produce clean energy here on Earth.
MIT’s motto, mens et manus, translates from Latin to mind and hand. This motto was reflected in the educational ideals of MIT’s founders who were promoting, above all, purposeful education for practical application, and the collaborative projects we participated in as teachers over the course of the week. Working in our teams, we got a taste of the unique projects our students will engage in through our exciting MIT collaboration. Tasks ranged from designing exercise regimes to help keep astronauts physically and mentally fit when travelling for long periods; producing art installations which highlight the global knock-on effect of climate disasters; creating sustainable cities with autonomous cars and commercial units, amongst many other creative challenges.
Throughout the week, there was a constant buzz of enthusiasm, and the spirit of collaboration was undeniable. On more than one occasion, I was struck by the correlations between MIT’s philosophy and the values we promote here at DCIS, where we encourage our students to be curious, resilient, take risks, learn from mistakes, and seize every opportunity to grow and succeed in a variety of contexts.
Our affiliation with MIT provides our students with many engaging opportunities, such as the termly MIT Challenges, an ever-growing archive of MIT Home Labs, MIT Abstracts and ‘Ask the Expert’ sessions, which bring science, technology, engineering, art and maths (STEAM) learning to life.
We were treated to a sneak-peek of the upcoming MIT Challenges for 2023-2024 and given the opportunity to meet with the MIT experts, who’ve set these thrilling challenges, which were linked to their specific areas of expertise or study. Ambitious learning opportunities such as these also allow our students to develop key transferable skills which will empower them as active contributors and innovative leaders beyond the classroom.
Full STEAM ahead @ DCIS
Additionally, be sure to keep a lookout for the personal message from the enthusiastic MIT Curiosity Correspondents Abby Haley and Rahi Patel addressing our DCIS community as well as updates on the upcoming MIT challenges and many other intriguing projects next academic year.
Do keep an eye out for the latest news about the fantastic learning opportunities provided through this affiliation in the coming year! Our upcoming MIT Challenges on ‘Building Better’ will encourage our young learners in both the Primary and Secondary Schools to collaborate and find innovative, creative solutions to complex, real-world problems linked to sustainability. Through investigation, imagination and ingenuity, students will be challenged to create new renewable energy sources, such as plasma fusion; to develop more sustainable manufacturing models and more resilient seed designs, which will enable plant species to not only survive, but thrive in a planet with increasing environmental stressors – watch this space!
Robert Nolan
Year 6 Teacher
Primary IPC & STEAM Lead
Dover Court’s collaboration with MIT allows our STEAM teachers to participate in workshops at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that expose them to the forefront of STEAM research and thinking. Your child will also be exposed to an innovative way of learning the STEAM subjects which encourages creativity, experimentation, and teaches them how to apply their skills to real-world situations. Learn more.
Passionate about creating global citizens and helping children to achieve their fullest potential are core characteristics of Dover Court Year 6 teacher, Ms Laura Vertigans.
Read more to find out about her teaching journey, tips for transitioning into Secondary school and experience as a student-athlete.
