MAT621 Maker Centered Learning - Final Reflection
First let me share that this course has been a wonderful educational experience and has supported and given credence through data, theories and schema to many ideas I've informally held and aspired to over the years. I've enjoyed the experience very much and have learned a lot and gained from the expertise and experience from many of my peers and teachers.
Why Making, Tinkering and Engineering in My Practice?
So, while I have included a lot of my thoughts and research on the Design Thinking Model for my "How" question, I have included some here as it helps set the placeholder for my thoughts around why maker centered learning is important to my educational practice. Martinez/Stager's TMI framework had a certain understandability and immediate application to working with kids in a project based learning environment. I liked the brevity and design of "Think, Make, and Improve." I liked that there were easily identifiable self-checks and self-assessments that a learner or group of children could do as they went through the process in their design model. I connected with the Design Thinking model's schema of process when it added: "understanding culture and engaging with humanity as two important pieces for all kids to understand."
So, in my support of all learners as a special educator and administrator I was drawn to quotes in Martinez and Stager such as the one that said: "Our emphasis is clearly on the inquiry and the learner, not on the specific curriculum or facts to be learned." (Pg. 35) As I shared earlier I think this is a crucial component of good instruction and learning. Maker centered learning emphasizes the connection to the learner and the learner's unique skill sets and needs. One size doesn't fit all and everyone's strengths and growth needs are proffered and accepted. As I've mentioned earlier, I've worked with students with superior visual/spatial skills who struggled with language and literacy. These students were often superior at thinking with their hands and learning by doing. We also understand and recognize that there are children who may be reluctant learners in one area but in another are passionate and feel competent: "begging to do extra work or in the case of a student who can't focus, creating a project with meticulous attention to detail." (Pg. 188)
Curriculum, content standards and progress monitoring tend to take a back step in maker centered learning. Makers enjoy their creations. (Pg. 32) Again, in the current climate we face in Vermont and nationally, we have to meet kids where they are both intellectually, experientially and social/emotionally. Kids are searching for relevance and real life skill building they know are akin to real life or crucial to participating in the world they will inherent.
As Martinez and Stager submit: Maker centered learning builds agency and character in the learners who participate in it. This informs how learners see the world and make sense of life experiences. Building community is a big part of maker centered learning. In my experience, kids are absolutely desirous of those one-to-one and community connections. They want those adult connections where they're assured of their competence and free to take risks and interpret their own educational goals.
Curriculum, content standards and progress monitoring tend to take a back step in maker centered learning. Makers enjoy their creations. (Pg. 32) Again, in the current climate we face in Vermont and nationally, we have to meet kids where they are both intellectually, experientially and social/emotionally. Kids are searching for relevance and real life skill building they know are akin to real life or crucial to participating in the world they will inherent.
As Martinez and Stager submit: Maker centered learning builds agency and character in the learners who participate in it. This informs how learners see the world and make sense of life experiences. Building community is a big part of maker centered learning. In my experience, kids are absolutely desirous of those one-to-one and community connections. They want those adult connections where they're assured of their competence and free to take risks and interpret their own educational goals.
What Making, Tinkering and Engineering could look like in My Practice?
What programs have you used to get kids thinking about thinking? So, going back to the TMI, I've used both Popplet and Mindmeister for brainstorming exercises. I've used Sketchup for design and Creately for flowcharting. I've used Udemy to learn some basic programming on the Mac.
I've enjoyed some of the programs we've used in MAT621 this semester and intend to add them to my personal practice around the "what." Voice Thread was a new program for me this semester and I see it's value for collaboration and presenting information. I thought Diigo was a nice resource to curate resources for projects and products.
The big three for me this semester in terms of the "What," were tools, programs and machines around fabrication, physical computing and programming. In terms of programming and because I work in a number of elementary schools, I'd like to investigate Scratch a little bit. John Wagner mentioned that it is "the most approachable for younger kids." I've also begun to play with xcode for the Mac to learn a little bit more about programming.
I see the area of fabrication as being the area I'm most interested in personally and professionally. I'd like to continue my investigation of my local maker space and add classes and professional development around areas such as: wood working and the CNC Router. I'd also like to continue to develop skills in Cura and 3D printing. I think I've made some headway and learned a little bit about using a laser cutter and programs such as Inkscape and LaserCut. I want to continue learning in this area.
Physical computing is probably my greatest growth area but I am interested in learning more about the Arduino and innovative interfaces such as the Makey Makey.
We've been given a lot of access to resources in this class and I've curated a lot of them and will continue to use them as professional resources: Instructables, Make Magazine, Sylvia's Super Awesome Maker Show, and Maker Shed, to name a few.
The big three for me this semester in terms of the "What," were tools, programs and machines around fabrication, physical computing and programming. In terms of programming and because I work in a number of elementary schools, I'd like to investigate Scratch a little bit. John Wagner mentioned that it is "the most approachable for younger kids." I've also begun to play with xcode for the Mac to learn a little bit more about programming.
I see the area of fabrication as being the area I'm most interested in personally and professionally. I'd like to continue my investigation of my local maker space and add classes and professional development around areas such as: wood working and the CNC Router. I'd also like to continue to develop skills in Cura and 3D printing. I think I've made some headway and learned a little bit about using a laser cutter and programs such as Inkscape and LaserCut. I want to continue learning in this area.
Physical computing is probably my greatest growth area but I am interested in learning more about the Arduino and innovative interfaces such as the Makey Makey.
We've been given a lot of access to resources in this class and I've curated a lot of them and will continue to use them as professional resources: Instructables, Make Magazine, Sylvia's Super Awesome Maker Show, and Maker Shed, to name a few.
How Making, Tinkering and Engineering could look like in My Practice?
I would envision extending and carrying over my current learning sessions at the MINT with ongoing attendance in professional development sessions and classes for the short term. It's been a good experience and one that has already expanded my personal and professional connections with people in my local and regional community. I attended a session on vacuforming last week that was really good and informative.
I would really like to get more skilled on the laser cutter, 3D printer and CNC Router and extend my tool use to both woodworking and metal work.
From a professional standpoint I work closely with four groups of special educators at the elementary level. I envision sharing my work in this class with them and sharing resources and tools around programming, fabrication and physical computing. Hands-on learning levels the bar and playing field for some kids who struggle with language and literacy but who have very good visual spatial and making skills.
Also, making, tinkering and engineering is about building community. Whether it's about working together with newbies in a class on 3D printing or getting a 1:1 tutorial on the laser cutter by a mentor or checking out what other people are making at a mixer, it's about those personal and professional connections. This does extend locally to our students in the form of get together's to make high tech pumpkins or in the recent Hour of Code class. It's about collaborative and shared leadership. Martinez and Stager talk about letting students be "in charge of setup, scheduling, planning and cleanup." (Pg. 176) Three-before-me helps build self-advocacy skills and collaboration skills among students. I also liked this quote: "Your students need to believe that they can be creators and inventors. The teachers job is to keep the spirit and mood of the space conducive to creativity." (Pg. 157)
Finally, we've spent time learning or thinking about thinking in this class. I see this as informing my "How." The Design Thinking Model for problem solving connects user or stakeholder context and culture with a methodology that adds a lens or world view. (VanGenderen) It also is about real life problems and solutions. We did a bit of that this semester with our paper circuit work. "Designing a professional learning experience that can change a teacher's perspective on learning, allow engagement in complex project development, and provide first-hand experience with sophisticated materials are but a few goals of Constructing Modern Knowledge." (Pg. 201)
From a professional standpoint I work closely with four groups of special educators at the elementary level. I envision sharing my work in this class with them and sharing resources and tools around programming, fabrication and physical computing. Hands-on learning levels the bar and playing field for some kids who struggle with language and literacy but who have very good visual spatial and making skills.
Also, making, tinkering and engineering is about building community. Whether it's about working together with newbies in a class on 3D printing or getting a 1:1 tutorial on the laser cutter by a mentor or checking out what other people are making at a mixer, it's about those personal and professional connections. This does extend locally to our students in the form of get together's to make high tech pumpkins or in the recent Hour of Code class. It's about collaborative and shared leadership. Martinez and Stager talk about letting students be "in charge of setup, scheduling, planning and cleanup." (Pg. 176) Three-before-me helps build self-advocacy skills and collaboration skills among students. I also liked this quote: "Your students need to believe that they can be creators and inventors. The teachers job is to keep the spirit and mood of the space conducive to creativity." (Pg. 157)
Finally, we've spent time learning or thinking about thinking in this class. I see this as informing my "How." The Design Thinking Model for problem solving connects user or stakeholder context and culture with a methodology that adds a lens or world view. (VanGenderen) It also is about real life problems and solutions. We did a bit of that this semester with our paper circuit work. "Designing a professional learning experience that can change a teacher's perspective on learning, allow engagement in complex project development, and provide first-hand experience with sophisticated materials are but a few goals of Constructing Modern Knowledge." (Pg. 201)
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