Seven museums in the Boston area, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Boston Children's Museum, Boston Museum of Science, Boston Zoological Society, Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard, and New England Aquarium have collaborated to form The Museum Institute for Teaching Science (M.I.T.S.). This collaborative has proposed a three- week summer institute for 84 teachers and a follow-through program during the school year to create a professional partnership between classroom teachers and the diverse resources of the museums. Summer activities will focus on field work, the nature of scientific inquiry, and hands-on activities which are immediately applicable to the classroom. Teachers will participate in field trips which will be replicable in their own locales, develop topical curricula based on the particular resources available in the various facilities, and be trained in the inquiry process of science, be given the opportunity to strengthen their content background. Teachers will have a chance to choose three of seven topics to pursue each summer. The topics vary according to the site offering the workshop. Follow-up activities include school visits, an M.I.T.S. Newsletter, and a teacher support and resource telephone system.
