Resources

Research on mathematical reasoning and learning has long been a central part of the classroom and formal education literature (e.g., National Research Council, 2001, 2005). However, much less attention has been paid to how children and adults engage with and learn about math outside of school, including everyday settings and designed informal learning environments, such as interactive math exhibits in science centers. With the growing recognition of the importance of informal STEM education (National Research Council, 2009, 2015), researchers, educators, and policymakers are paying more

In this Research Work in Progress paper, we describe the methods chosen for a project exploring best practices of inclusion in maker spaces serving diverse populations. Maker spaces provide communities access to innovation tools in startup settings that are shaped by the participating members. In our study, these include not only hacker spaces that involve computing, electronic activities, and three-dimensional printing capabilities, but also sites focusing on traditional arts and crafts. Sites selected represent sustainable examples of the values embedded in maker space missions: to promote

Background: Makers are a growing community of STEM-minded people who bridge technical and non-technical backgrounds to imagine, build and fabricate engineering systems. Some have engineering training, some do not. This paper presents a study to explore the educational pathways of adult Makers and how they intersect with engineering. This research is guided by the following research questions: (1) What can we learn about the educational pathways of adult Makers through the lens of constructivist grounded theory? and (2) How do the educational pathways of Makers intersect with engineering? This

Previous research on youth’s perceptions and reactions to failure established a view of failure as a negative, debilitating experience for youth, yet STEM and in particular making programs increasingly promote a pedagogy of failures as productive learning experiences. Looking to unpack perceptions of failure across contexts and potential differences between self-identified sexes, youth who participated in making activities were interviewed about their experiences with failure and thoughts about the term. Youth’s perceptions of failure fell into four categories: failure as enhancing, failure as

Makerspaces are situated in diverse settings and engage in differing projects. Consequently, it appears that there is variation in what activities are engaged in and how time is spent in makerspaces. To date, the time-use of these activities within makerspaces has yet to be explored. The present paper identifies seven primary activity categories and discusses how time is devoted to these activities across three maker camps.

We report on the development and implementation of biomakerlab, a wetlab starter kit for synthetic biology activities in K-12. In synthetic biology, participants make their own DNA—gene by gene—and then grow their designs into real applications by inserting them into microorganisms to develop different traits and characteristics provided by the genes. High school students worked with biomakerlab to make logo designs using microorganisms they manipulated to produce differently colored pigments. Our analysis focuses on student engagement with production activities and design challenges in

In recent years, “maker” culture and 3D printing have become increasingly popular. Member-driven and community-based makerspaces are cropping up across the U.S. offering access to digital fabrication tools such as laser cutters, CNC mills, and 3D printers. Schools are also beginning to take interest, with groups like MakerEd working to promote the educational benefits of maker skills in both formal and informal learning spaces. We have explored the use of one tool in particular, 3D printing, as a means to engage underrepresented students in STEM learning. The cost of 3D printers has decreased

In this paper, we present an example of culturally-responsive making in the context of developing location-based community stories. Working with members of an Indigenous community in the Southwestern United States, we co-designed and implemented a two-week summer camp in which middle school youth used Augmented Reality and Interactive Storytelling (ARIS), a narrative-based programming tool, to create virtual community tours for the purpose of sharing the information they learned about tribally owned locations with others. We developed case studies of two groups of students ho incorporated

Real-world problem solving through Making is a popular technique to engage youth in STEM education. Since it is often difficult to infuse Maker curriculum into students’ school schedules, this frequently occurs in after-school programs. Unfortunately, not all youth are able to participate in these enriching after-school activities due to financial pressures. Due to the lack of variety of youth jobs, findings a technical job may be difficult and youth may instead take jobs in non-technical fields such as food service or retail. These non-technical jobs take time away from Making, designing, and

A Maker is a modern-day tinkerer and hands-on builder of DIY artifacts. Makers create their inventions wholly out of their imaginations, with the support of a rich collaborative online and in-person community. This paper describes the results from a qualitative study of adult Makers and their characteristics of collaboration in the Maker community. Results indicate that Makers exhibit a mindset of Additive Innovation. This describes the open community of sharing and learning that is the Maker community. Connections between engineering and Making are also discussed.