Teaching And Learning Innovation Grants

TLIG aims to bring MIT Computer Science educators together to tackle the problem of CS teacher licensing and teacher competencies–i.e. what are skills, concepts, dispositions that teachers need to have in relation to the licensure agency’s requirements.

Program Goals

TLIG aims to bring MIT Computer Science educators together to tackle the problem of CS teacher licensing and teacher competencies–i.e. what are skills, concepts, dispositions that teachers need to have in relation to the licensure agency’s requirements. We also want to leverage MITs rich history and innovative takes on CS education by emphasizing the role of creativity, playfulness, artificial intelligence, and affective computing. We are seeking to find innovative models of CS education within the MIT community and investigate implications of those models on K-12 education, particularly for teacher education. Some of the questions that we are hoping to answer include but not limited to:


  • What can MIT say about “hands-on minds-on” ways of learning CS that goes beyond programming skills? How can we prepare teachers to facilitate those models of learning CS in their classrooms?
  • How can we support teachers’ work with an existing model of teaching CS skills and concepts?

The proposed work should meet the following requirements. First, the work needs to be evidence-based. That is, the team needs to clear articulate how they would define success of the project and how the evidence for the success would look like. Second, the work needs to be aligned with the Massachusetts teacher licensure in CS and should focus on teacher ed. Finally, our goal is to coordinate related efforts in this area, so that people will need to be willing to work in a team. That is, we will encourage different groups with complimentary interests and foci to collaborate, and the team’s willingness and commitment to do will be crucial for the success of the program.

For additional questions or clarification, contact Jessica Rondon at [email protected].

Past TLIG Recipients

Proposal Preparation And Submission

Submissions are due on March 11th, 2018 by 5PM EST.


Prior to submitting an application, there will be an open house/information session on February 8th from 10am-12:00pm at the Office of Open Learning (NE49). Applicants will have an opportunity to learn more about the Teaching Systems Lab, the Woodrow Wilson Academy, and the work both organizations are doing to develop innovative approaches to teaching and learning. We encourage everyone to attend.


In addition, meetings are available with TSL staff to help you prepare your proposal and discuss connections between your work and the Woodrow Wilson Academy. Meeting appointments can be made on a first-come, first-served basis by contacting Jessica Rondon ([email protected]). Meetings can be scheduled Monday – Friday, February 5-9th. Applicants are encouraged to consult with TSL staff but meetings are not required. TSL staff may be available for consultations after February 9th.

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