Tinkering is a hands-on learning approach and way to develop understanding about the world. Learning through tinkering relies on direct experiences with real phenomena, things that learners can see and touch. The Tinkering Studio believes that tinkering experiences empower both learners and educators to develop an understanding of science processes and ideas, as well as their own potential as learners.
Bernie is a Senior Scientist for Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), who has spent much of his professional life devising ways to educate young people about science, both while they're at school and when they're out in the world, away from the classroom. He has contributed to many landmark science curricula, including Elementary Science Study and the African Primary Science Program. Bernie collaborated with Learning Studio while exploring bubbles, mist curtains, mirrors, and fluid dynamics.
A former student and translator of Jean Piaget, Eleanor Duckworth grounds her work in Piaget and Inhelder's insights into the nature and development of understanding and in their research method, which she has developed as a teaching/research approach, Critical Exploration in the Classroom. She seeks to bring a Freirean approach to any classroom, valuing the learners' experience and insights. Her interest is in the experiences of teaching and learning of people of all ages, both in and out of schools. Duckworth is a former elementary school teacher and has worked in curriculum development, teacher education, and program evaluation in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and her native Canada
Marina Umaschi Bers is professor and chair at the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development and an adjunct professor in the Computer Science Department at Tufts University. She heads the interdisciplinary Developmental Technologies research group. Her research involves the design and study of innovative learning technologies to promote
Mitchel Resnick (@mres), LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research at the MIT Media Lab, develops new technologies and activities to engage people (especially children) in creative learning experiences. His Lifelong Kindergarten research group develops the Scratch programming software and online community, the world's leading coding platform for kids. His group also collaborates with the LEGO Company on the development of new educational ideas and products, including LEGO Mindstorms and LEGO WeDo robotics kits.