Research about the Makerspace

www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec14/vol72/num04/Tinkering-Is-Serious-Play.aspx

https://iet.open.ac.uk/file/innovating-pedagogy-2019.pdf

http://hivenyc.org/wp-content/uploads/LauraFleming_Maker-Movement.pdf

The Classroom or Library as a MakerspaceMakerspaces, Maker Education, STEM, and STEAM are gaining lots of traction in Kindergarten though college level education. Articles, resources on social media, and conference presentations on these…

The Maker Movement in K-12 Education: A Guide to Emerging Research As Maker Education evolves in K-12, researchers are exploring related equity issues, design principles for Maker spaces, and the impact of this approach on student learning.

Defining Makerspaces: What the Research SaysRecently, I had the unfortunate experience of dealing with criticism. I was told (not to my face) by a visitor to our school that our library makerspace is not a “real makerspace”. This same person stated that our woodshop is a “real makerspace” because it has power tools. She suggested that I “do some research” on what makerspaces actually are. Feeling personally insulted aside, what bothers me most about this statement is the concept that some makerspaces are more valid than others and that a makerspace is solely defined by the tools it contains. I do agree that our woodshop is a makerspace, even though we don’t call it that. Our woodshop is awesome, and I’m so glad that we have a space where students can learn how to use saws, drills and other tools to build awesome projects as part of their curriculum. Yes, that is a makerspace. But is my space any less of a makerspace simply because it doesn’t have power tools? Because it doesn’t have a 3D printer? Because my students build with LEGOs, K’nex and cardboard? Defining Makerspaces All of this got me thinking about how we define “makerspace”. So I did what librarians do best: I researched. I gathered together my books on makerspaces, I searched our databases for articles, and I crowdsourced the amazing hive mind of Twitter. For the record, here’s my own definition of a school Makerspace: A makerspace is a place where students can gather to create, invent, tinker, explore and discover using a variety of tools and materials. A makerspace can be anything from a repurposed bookcart filled with arts and crafts supplies to a table in a corner set out with LEGOs to a full blown fab lab with 3D printers, laser cutters, and handtools. No two school makerspaces are... Continue Reading

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