MIT Program has Students Teaching Students

On Saturday, 1,100 students packed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's campus, where they spent the day rushing from class to class. These students were all from grades 7 to 12, and their professors were MIT undergraduate and graduate students.

Spark is an annual event run by the MIT Educational Studies Program (ESP) that connects area high school students with MIT students looking to spread their passion for discovery and education. A similar program, called Splash, occurs each fall at MIT, typically averaging 2,000 participants and 350 student instructors.

The ESP has been in existence since 1957, but until very recently, it has remained the only program of its kind in Boston, and one of few in the country. Hanyin Cheng, A&S '12, hopes to change this.

 "I got the idea for Splash [at BC] at the beginning of spring semester," Cheng said. "Two weeks ago, I approached the MIT ESP program because I wanted to learn how they plan for this enormous undertaking. They were extremely excited about the prospect of a sister Splash program in Boston."

The programs open the campus to middle and high school students from all backgrounds for a day, allowing them to take classes in a wide range of subjects. MIT students volunteer to teach classes in any topics they are passionate about, and the resulting course list is extensive. 

Though the Spark program is only three years old, Splash began in 1980. In addition, the ESP coordinates AP and SAT prep courses as well as long term courses on Saturdays and in the summer, all for middle and high school students.

Boston College may not be able to offer programming this extensive immediately, but Cheng hopes to host the first Splash at BC next fall. "Because of our proximity to MIT and MIT's willingness to help us advertise our program, we can reasonably expect 500 students for our first program," Cheng said.

"One of the biggest issues that I see on campus is the huge gap between academic life and social life," Cheng said.  "I see Splash as a way of addressing this issue. It gives BC students a chance to showcase their passions and special interests in a classroom setting."

MIT student Stephanie Bachar, class of 2011, is a bioengineering major and served as ESP chairperson for MIT, last year. She currently serves as liaison for Harvard ESP, and she maintains that the ESP is not averse to sharing tips regarding its programming.
"The idea of spreading our programs should never be a bad thing," Bachar said. "It becomes more difficult [when there are multiple programs] because it requires more collaboration, but I think that if you have the communication, the fundamental point, which is getting these classes to students, will happen better."

Rather than looking for a monopoly, the ESP hopes to expand on its past progress. "The philosophy of ESP is that you should give college students the ability to teach about anything they are passionate about, and that passion will break through to middle school and high school students," Bachar said.

"That is what gives those students the ability to find out what they like and how people actually pursue it in real life. We tell students to teachanything they want, and we really mean it."

The wide variety of subjects can be seen in the event's course catalogue. Of the 100-plus classes that were offered Saturday, some included:  Strategy, Lying and Manipulation; Why is it Wrong to Cut in Line? (A Philosopher's Approach); and Quantum Tunneling, Black Holes, and the Weird Universe.

Though a Splash program at BC could closely resemble Splash at MIT, it would likely differ widely in the courses offered, Cheng said. "The student body's interests determine the course[s]," Cheng said.  As with any university, the program would be entirely reliant on the students who become involved.

MIT student and first-year Spark teacher Debby Yee, class of 2011, said that the student teachers are responsible for submitting a course outline, preparing their material ahead of time, and teaching at the event, making it a significant time commitment and a rewarding way to share their passions. She and a group of friends taught courses on origami and physics.

While the primary beneficiaries are the high school participants, there are also benefits for the college students involved. "Personally I am interested in pursuing a career in education, but I don't always have the opportunities to experience firsthand what it is like to teach a bunch of students," Yee said.  "For me, it was really helpful to get a feel for how it could be."

Siblings Nakiska and Braenaan Vaughan both participated in Saturday's programming and said "it was lots of fun."

Though they are in seventh and eighth grades, respectively, the two chose to take courses in interplanetary warfare, real conspiracies, and  explosive materials.
Community feedback for the events has been overwhelmingly positive, organizers said. "It's really exciting," Bachar said. "We have gotten letters and phone calls from parents saying, ‘You changed my child's life.'"