Making MakerSpaces for Deeper Learning
Forward
"There is no greater integrity, no greater goal achieved, than an idea articulately expressed through something made with your hands. We call this constant dialog between eye, mind, and hand ‘critical thinking - critical making.’ It’s an education in getting your hands dirty, in understanding why you made what you made, and owning the impact of that work in the world. It’s what artists and designers do."-John Maeda
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by how things work. As a kid, I remember taking apart old electronics in an attempt to understand their inner workings, I built elaborate tree forts spanning the tops of multiple trees, and was always attempting to “improve” my toys and belongings. Even at this early age, I was always trying to learn new skills and gather as much information as I could about whatever held my interest at the time. Most importantly I have always been drawn to the idea of a challenge - the bigger and more over-the-top it was the more I was drawn to it. Ultimately, it was this mindset that drew me to education.
Struck by the realization that your average student in 2016 no longer has access to the career and technical education offered through vocational classes such as woodworking, auto shop, and metal fabrication that were commonly available as few as 15 years ago, I have chosen to focus much of my professional life on engaging kids in meaningful work, engineering, designing and crafting beautiful and functional things that most people assume they cannot make at such a young age, and above all developing the mindset that “I can do that”.
I owe a large part of my pedagogy, to those experiences I was afforded through vocational classes such as wood shop, auto shop, and metal fabrication. It is sad to see that our current generation of students has lost access to classes and experiences that stretch so far beyond a simple career path. It has become my goal as an educator to bring these experiences back to our students… and what a time to do so.
Our Current Dilemma
Regardless of their approach teachers, administrators, and educational policy makers share the common goal of preparing our next generation for the future by providing them with the knowledge, skills and resources necessary for their success. Although the current model of education aims to prepare students for success in college and ultimately the workplace, the approach in which it does so falls short.
This problem is heavily rooted in the desire to standardize education. In order to evaluate their success and analyze their progress over time, schools and districts need a metric in which to do so. Ultimately, this has fallen on the shoulders of standardized testing, which has become so ingrained in our current educational system that it is hard to disseminate one from the other. Herein lies the problem. If these tests are in place to measure and compare how well schools are preparing students for their futures, then by this metric a good school is simply one whose students perform well on tests. Unfortunately, this then places the focus of schools not on preparing students for the real world, but rather preparing them to do well on a test.
This problem is extrapolated by the fact that modern workforce is evolving as well. This is highlighted in the fact that, “School has traditionally rewarded conformity and singular achievement, while work is becoming a team-oriented, project-based enterprise” (Rojewski & Hill, 2014, p. 146 ). If our job as teachers is to prepare our students for life, it then inherently, becomes our responsibility as educators to support this shift.
PBL and Deeper Learning
Fortunately, for those of us who recognize the fallacy of equating learning with test performance, there are schools breaking this mold. Progressive schools such as High Tech High in San Diego, California, where I currently teach, and many others are finding ways to prepare our students in a different manner - engaging our students in meaningful, authentic and valuable work in the classroom. The question then arises, how do we measure our success?
High Tech High’s founder and CEO, Larry Rosenstock, would ultimately argue that data such as college acceptance and retention rates are far more meaningful metrics for evaluating a school’s performance and growth. Designing a school around metrics such as these has a profound effect on not only what students are learning, but how they are learning it. Simply put these students are engaged in authentic and meaningful work on a day in and day out basis, which commands a much higher level of engagement and thus deeper learning.
The term Deeper Learning has been coined as an umbrella term for the skills and knowledge that students must possess to succeed in 21st century jobs and civic life. According to the Hewlett Educational Foundation, “At its heart is a set of competencies students must master in order to develop a keen understanding of academic content and apply their knowledge to problems in the classroom and on the job” (Hewlett Foundation, 2013). This framework can be broken into six competencies, which are required to prepare students to achieve at high levels.
Deeper Learning Competencies
At its foundation deeper learning is about the mastery of core academic content, where students are expected to be active participants in their education. In an ideal situation, students are engaged in challenging work that requires them to seek out and acquire new information and skills, and apply what they have learned to create new knowledge. While conceptually this may seem fairly concise, the practical application of this type of learning in the classroom can take on a wide variety of different forms.
Schools such as High Tech High, and the New Tech Network of schools are embedding this within their project-based learning (PBL) approach to education. PBL is a pedagogical approach, which refers to, “students designing, planning, and carrying out extended projects that produce a publicly-exhibited output such as a product, publication, or presentation.” (Learning Futures and High Tech High, 2012, p. 13) In this type of education, students learn through the real world application of the content they are studying, by collaborating on authentic tasks that require critical thinking, creativity and effective communication allowing them to answer challenging questions and solve complex problems. A well designed project in an effective PBL classroom develops each of the deeper learning competencies.
The Maker Movement and MakerSpaces
In the past few decades, with the advent of the internet, instant communication, computer controlled machines and open access to more information than one could possibly learn in 1000 lifetimes, we are seeing a shift in the demand for new skill sets in a global economy. “The more emerging technologies become integrated into the workplace,” argue Rojewski & Hill, “the greater the need for innovation. Decision-making, problem solving and ill-structured settings, and application of technologies in novel ways to address problems will increasingly be the currency of valued workers, just as physical labor was in the industrial age”(2014, p.146 ).
Instant communication and sharing of data have led to a technological bloom unlike anything we have seen before. “The maker movement, know to past generations as ‘DIY’ (do-it-yourself), encourages collaboration, invention, and radical participation with a single goal: to create new things.” (Semanti, 2013 p. 1). “The maker movement, “ explain Peppler and Bender (2013, p. 26), “is driven by makers who pull these ideas into their communities, adapt them to suit local needs and interests, and literally build out the spaces and activities to engage young makers in active hands-on learning experiences.” Given that this movement is grounded in the process of learning through doing, the connection of making to education is abundantly clear.
“As the maker movement evolves,” states Samtani (2013, p. 2), “so, too, does the demand for a new kind of participatory public arena commonly know as a makerspace. Here budding makers mingle, share knowledge and resources, and collaborate on projects.” These makerspaces have been sprouting up across the country at an increasing rate. Part woodshop, part machine shop, part 21st century tech lab, these spaces are allowing backyard builders and basement tinkerers access to tools and materials that were previously out of reach. With current educational reform making a strong push towards science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (collectively know as STEAM), these innovative spaces are finding their way into educational settings and schools across the country. My goal has been to explore how these spaces can impact student education and how they can be used by teachers to bring deeper learning to their classrooms.
Enhancing Deeper Learning Through Making
The crux of my work over the past few years has been to take the underlying educational potential of the maker movement and connect it to deeper learning through the development of a communal makerspace at my campus known as The Maker Lounge. This project started in 2012 as a way to provide our staff and students with access to professional tools and resources needed to develop the skills required by many 21st century STEAM professions.
Since the beginning I have been the lead of this project and taken on many roles throughout the process. We began by developing an initial concept of the space determining how and when it would be used, ultimately deciding upon an open access community resource model. From there we were able to determine a location for the space (a facilities store room), and began planning the process of its development. Given the substantial cost of developing the type of space we wanted, we knew that this space would have to be developed and improved over time.
The Maker Lounge officially opened its doors to the K-12 staff and students in the Spring of 2014 housing a laser cutter, 3d printer, and a few small wood working tools. The development of this space has been an iterative process, based upon the needs and feedback from our staff. Through this process, I have since been exploring how this space can be used to impact our teachers’ ability to engage their students in deeper learning and the potential impact this can have on a student’s education. For the past year, I have partnered with a 6th grade team at our middle school to look more closely at how our MakerSpace can do just this.
Methods
In order to improve the functionality and overall usefulness of our makerspace, I have spent the past year conducting a case study with one of our sixth grade teams. My focus team consisted of two teaching partners, Ivan and Lauren, who share two classes of 26 students. Ivan covers math and science and the Lauren teaches humanities (language arts and history). I am a friend, colleague and advisor to these teachers and have approached this study as a way to improve the learning that is happening at our school. Rather than collecting and analyzing data throughout the year, and providing suggested recommendations at the end of my study based on my findings, I have been working alongside Ivan and Lauren to explore how are space is being used by staff and students and make improvements along the way. Throughout this process I have used the data and observations that I have seen to advise their work within the space and implement changes based upon their feedback.
I chose this team as a focus for my study based their work they had done with their students last year and their future plans they had for this year. Last year, this teaching team designed and implemented a project titled Archaic Arcade, in which their students investigated a variety of ancient civilizations and then created mechanical wooden arcade games highlighting attributes of their chosen civilization. They have chosen to revise and reimplement the project again this year, with the primary difference being student involvement in the use of the makerspace.
For this case study I have chosen to focus on two major targets. The first being the teachers using the space. Specifically, I have been looking at the experience new teachers have using our MakerSpace, and how this space impacts their ability to engage their students in deeper learning. I have observed this experience and collected feedback through each stage of this process, from initial introduction and training all the way through the project design process and ultimately the use of this space with their students. Through each of these stages I have provided recommendations and made changes to improve their experience. Additionally, I have spent time looking at the use of the space from a student's perspective and collected evidence about how and what the students were learning through this process.
In order to adequately assess both the Ivan and Lauren’s experience with the use of our MakerSpace and how this impacted their students’ learning I had to develop a better understanding of the past version of this project, the project’s learning outcomes, the process the students went through and the changes that were being made for this year’s project. I began this process through a series of discussions with Ivan and Lauren, where we reviewed various project handouts, looked at various student work samples from last year and discussed their aspirations for this year’s project. I then used this background information as a guide for development of the questions I would be using in my first formal interview with Ivan and Lauren, where I would be looking at how they plan to use the MakerSpace in this project and how they perceive that this could be used to develop deeper learning competencies within their class.
In order to successfully use the Maker Lounge as a resource to establish and build deeper learning competencies in the classroom, certain background knowledge and level of comfort would need to be established. My next steps focused on introducing Ivan and Lauren to the MakerSpace in order for them to develop a better understanding of the full capabilities of the Maker Lounge. Throughout this process, I was focusing on what would need to be done in order to establish the level of comfort necessary to use this space with their class. I worked with both of these teachers to teach them about the use of the various tools we have in the MakerSpace and how they could be applied to their project.
After establishing a deeper understanding of their project, and introducing them to exactly what our MakerSpace has to offer, the next part of my research was to gain insight as to how teachers new to this space plan to integrate its use into their work. In order to better understand this thought process. Using the previous data I had gathered through our discussions as a foundation, I conducted my first formal video interview with Ivan and Lauren, where I had them discuss their experience and thought process thus far, as well as how they perceived that this space would foster the development of deeper learning competencies in their classrooms.
Once Ivan and Lauren had been trained on the use of the space and had established a level of confidence necessary to bring this tool to their classroom, they began to roll out their project to their class. As they did so, I observed how they introduced the space to their students and prepared them for its use. As the project progressed, I spent time observing their classroom and how they prepared their students for the use of the space, the time they spent in the MakerSpace and how they were using it, and continued to discuss with them their experiences with this process. This was done in order to further develop a better understanding of a new teacher’s experience with the use of the space, and use this information to guide the future development of the Maker Lounge and its resources to better support future users.
As the purpose of this space is to provide students with access to tools, materials, and resources necessary to connect them with real-world processes and applications and ultimately enhance their learning, I also wanted to gather information from the students perspective. I began this process by interviewing past students about their experiences with this project last year to establish a baseline for my observations. As Ivan and Lauren began to roll out this year’s project in their classroom, I began to observe and collect information on process they used to introduce and guide their students through the use of the MakerSpace. As they did so, I spent time investigating what students were learning and how they were doing so. During this process, I spent time getting to know various students previous academic histories, while looking at their work, contributions and learning experiences throuough this project. This was done through a series of observations, discussions and interviews with students, as well as investigations of the work the student were developing.
Finally, as the project came to an end with the student presenting their work at a public exhibition, I began to compile the observations and data I had collected along with the recommendations and changes I had implemented throughout the process. I used this information as a foundation for a final formal interview with Ivan and Lauren having them reflect on their experience with this process and provide feedback and recommendations for the future development and use of the space.
Findings From a Teacher’s Perspective
After I had established a significant understanding of their project, I introduced Ivan and Lauren to various tools and machines available in our MakerSpace, making suggestions and recommendations about their potential application to their project, and ultimately began training them on their use. During this introduction both teachers immediately identified the capabilities of our laser cutter as having the potential to greatly improve both the functionality and complexity of their students’ gaming machines this year. However, during these conversations they also expressed a certain level of intimidation about the upcoming process ahead of them. Knowing their pre-existing comfort level and past experiences with making in their classes, their initial feeling of intimidation has definitely challenged my thinking as to what someone completely new to this process must feel.Following up this introduction with our first formal interview, Lauren and Ivan were quick to identify the desire to use our laser cutter as a primary resource from the space as well as their plan for introducing it to their class. Based upon their previous level of intimidation with the space, I was surprised by this as it is one of the more complex machines we have available. As of the time of the interview, our laser cutter had the most robust training resources available, which led me to wonder about the correlation between the two. Ultimately, this has led me to consider what additional resources and training tools I can develop to inspire this level of interest with the other machines and tools available. Additionally, during our interview, they identified critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration, and Self-Directed learning as targeted deeper learning competencies most likely to be impacted through the use of the Maker Lounge in this year’s Project, which would provide context for my future classroom and student observations.
After introducing their project to their students, Ivan and Lauren began to prepare their students for the use of the space by introducing their students the to laser cutter and the process of using it. In order to facilitate this process they used the Maker Lounge website extensively as a guide for their students, having them work through the established training materials and resources. I was initially surprised by this, as I had originally developed this as a tool to support teacher training on the machine, thinking that they would then introduce this to their class using their own process. The extent to which they used these resources far surpassed anything that I would have previously thought. This has provided me with a new perspective on the potential audience/users I am developing these resources for and has given me ideas for future improvements. I am currently working on developing a lesson plan for teachers who plan to introduce their students to the laser cutter coinciding with the resources developed on the site.
As Ivan and Lauren began to use the physical space with their students, I quickly became aware of some of the challenges surrounding its use. Since the space has been converted originally from a facilities storeroom, its physical size is limited, which in turn limits the number of people who can use the space at a given time. With its current layout it can fit about 12 users at a time, meaning that when using the space with students a teacher can only bring about half of their class their at a time. This meant that when Ivan and Lauren were using the space one teacher would have to take a small group down there while the other teacher remained in the classroom with the remaining students and then rotate groups as necessary. Additionally, since the space is not in close proximity to their classrooms the teachers had to be creative with how they communicated with one another.
Although there were challenges with the proximity of the space as well as the number of students who were able to use the space at a given time, I observed an unforeseen benefit to the structures the teachers put in place when using the space. When using the space, one teacher would take a small group of students down there, while the other teacher remained in the classroom with the majority of the students. This in turn meant that the students had less support available to them and thus had to be more reliant on themselves and their group members when challenges arose. This self-reliance helped them to develop and establish strategies necessary to direct their own learning.
Findings From a Student’s Perspective
Early in this study as I was establishing an understanding of Ivan and Lauren’s project, I had several discussions and interviews with their past students. Through these discussions several key themes emerged. The first was that although the students were proud of the work that they had developed last year, they felt that there was significant room for improvement, with regards to the overall functionality, aesthetics and end-user experience with their games. The second major theme that emerged from last year’s students was that the learning experience varied greatly from student to student. Many of the students I talked to explained that within their groups there was often one or two students who completed the majority of the work on their games with the other students in their group failing to contribute significantly. I feel that this may have been largely due to varying degrees of student confidence in their learning abilities, as this project required a significant level of self-directed learning. I used this information to establish a baseline for assessing growth in student learning and development of deeper learning competencies in this year’s project.
As I observed Ivan and Lauren introduce this project to their students, I was initially struck by the level of excitement and ultimately student engagement in this project. Since Ivan and Lauren first rolled out this project in their classroom, there was an almost perceptible buzz around the excitement of making something using new tools and techniques. To my surprize this high level of excitement carried on throughout all of the stages of the project. Simply put the students were drawn to the challenge of using these new tools and resources and were eager to explore their potential. This heightened level of excitement translated into a much higher level of student engagement than previously witnessed by their teachers.
As this project provided a new learning experience for both the teachers and the students, there was almost no pre-established hierarchy of competence with regards to development of their games. This provided many students with the confidence to engage in the learning process and contribute to their group in ways not previously done before. Through this case study, I was able to identify and observe evidence of each of the deeper learning competencies within the student's work. Several of the students I observed stood out as prime examples of how making can be used as a powerful tool to establish these competencies.
One student in particular, stood out as a prime example of this. This was a student who previously has struggled with math and has very low confidence in his abilities to solve problems on his own. Because of this, he frequently doesn’t complete assignments or contribute significantly to his group’s work. This problem has been extrapolated by the fact that his peers recognize this, and because of it fail to assign him to any sort of meaningful tasks. However, as the students began to learn how to design parts for the use of the laser cutter, it became evident that he had a natural understanding of geometric constructions and spatial reasoning, both of which are required to successfully develop files for the laser cutter. As such, he quickly picked up the process and developed a high level of competency and efficiency with regards to problem solving and the development of parts. As his peers began to recognize this, he quickly became the go to person for help with the design and development of laser cutter files. Through this process, his mindset began to change significantly as did his overall work output and contribution to his group. Furthermore, since the culmination of this project his teachers have noticed significant improvement in his overall approach to class and the work he continues to produce.
Conclusions
As both MakerSpace developer and progressive teacher who is constantly attempting to improve the quality of the educational experience for not only my students, but my campus as a whole, this was a wonderfully rich learning experience, which will greatly influence the future development and use of our MakerSpace within our schools. Since the beginning, I have had the end goal of establishing it as a powerful tool for developing deeper learning competencies within the classroom. Through my experience I have found that the most successful MakerSpaces are those that are designed specifically to suit the needs of their users. These spaces are constantly evolving to suit the changing needs of those using the space. This is no more true than when a MakerSpace is set in an educational setting.
Through this process, I have found that with careful planning and proper use MakerSpaces are an excellent tool in a teacher’s or educator’s arsenal that can be used to develop and enhance deeper learning competencies in the classroom. In this case study, I have been able to critically analyze our space through an outside lens and evaluate how it is currently being used by new teachers in their classrooms and look at the role this space plays in the learning experiences students are having. More importantly, I have been able to identify several key challenges with the space, which are potentially limiting its full capabilities and effectiveness. Much like software in beta testing, this information I have gathered will be used to guide the future development of the space.
From the feedback I have received from teachers, students and general observations of the integration of this space into the classroom, it is clear that even as it currently stands The Maker Lounge provides teachers and students with the ability to engage in types of high-level authentic work that has become standard in a wide variety of STEAM careers. Students are able to take on meaningful challenges and develop creative solutions requiring high levels of understanding of the core academic content, which otherwise would not be possible without the tools and resources available in our MakerSpace. Furthermore more these challenges the students are taking on and the solutions they developing through the process, are promoting and establishing a heightened level of competency in critical thinking and problem solving.
Once introduced the space, I have found that even students who have previously struggled with academics, are more confident in approaching challenging problems and developing creative solutions using the tools at hand, which has a profound effect on their general approach to school and their classes. Often times these are the students who discover skills and competencies they never knew they had. When students such as this develop a strong Academic Mindset, this doesn’t just disappear when the project is over, but rather carries over to their next assignment, project or challenge.
Using project-based learning as the foundation for integrating the use of the MakerSpace into class curriculum had a synergistic effect on the quality, complexity, and authenticity of the work our students were able to engage in. This greatly enhanced the students experience and development of each of the deeper learning competencies. Through the use of the MakerSpace students are often required to work collaboratively with one another to solve complex tasks, requiring effective communication of content and ideas in order to combine multiple viewpoints to create their end products. Ultimately, introducing making into a classroom introduces deeper learning as well.
With the relatively steep learning curve associated with preparing to use the MakerSpace, teachers can easily feel overwhelmed by the process. More often than not this intimidation stems from teachers no longer feeling like they are the experts in the classroom. I would argue that this is a good thing. For students to successfully self-direct their own learning they have to be put into situations where they are required to do so. I have long since been an advocate of learning alongside my students, and the evidence I have collected through this experience has helped to justify just how effective this approach can be in the classroom. An unforeseen benefit of teachers being new to the use of the MakerSpace is they are no longer established as the go-to experts for solutions to problems the students encountered. This shift of dynamics in the classroom means that the students will frequently be put in situations that require them to learn new skills independently, in order to develop creative solutions to their problems.
Making MakerSpaces
The end goal of this project was to explore how our MakerSpace is currently being used by our staff and students, in order to improve the user’s experience. Using deeper learning as a lens to evaluate the MakerSpace’s impact on student education and teacher practices, has helped to establish authenticity and purpose for the continued development of our space. Through this experience, it is clear that a MakerSpace is a powerful and effective tool for involving students in challenging work, and developing solutions to complex problems, both of which are foundations of Deeper Learning.
While I will be the first to admit that our space is not perfect, it has already shown its worth and established credibility among our staff as a powerful tool for enhancing student education. Additionally, our MakerSpace has allowed us to reintegrate career and technical education back into our curriculum, providing students with a greater context of potential career options in their post school lives. As our space continues to develop and expand and is used by more teachers and students over time, this resource will only continue to improve.
As it stands currently our MakerSpace is not the initial attempt but rather an ongoing evolution of a collection of resources for our staff and students. Our space has been developed from the ground up with this in mind, and I would argue that this should be model for any MakerSpace. The changes that have and will continue to occur overtime are guided by the direct needs of our staff and students. While there is no ‘one size fits all’ blueprint for the development of a MakerSpace there are ways of going about developing one. Based upon this investigation, my experiences with the development of our space, and the other MakerSpaces I have consulted on and worked to create, I have developed this site as a guide for those interested in developing and/or improving MakerSpaces in their own schools and educational settings.
"There is no greater integrity, no greater goal achieved, than an idea articulately expressed through something made with your hands. We call this constant dialog between eye, mind, and hand ‘critical thinking - critical making.’ It’s an education in getting your hands dirty, in understanding why you made what you made, and owning the impact of that work in the world. It’s what artists and designers do."-John Maeda
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by how things work. As a kid, I remember taking apart old electronics in an attempt to understand their inner workings, I built elaborate tree forts spanning the tops of multiple trees, and was always attempting to “improve” my toys and belongings. Even at this early age, I was always trying to learn new skills and gather as much information as I could about whatever held my interest at the time. Most importantly I have always been drawn to the idea of a challenge - the bigger and more over-the-top it was the more I was drawn to it. Ultimately, it was this mindset that drew me to education.
Struck by the realization that your average student in 2016 no longer has access to the career and technical education offered through vocational classes such as woodworking, auto shop, and metal fabrication that were commonly available as few as 15 years ago, I have chosen to focus much of my professional life on engaging kids in meaningful work, engineering, designing and crafting beautiful and functional things that most people assume they cannot make at such a young age, and above all developing the mindset that “I can do that”.
I owe a large part of my pedagogy, to those experiences I was afforded through vocational classes such as wood shop, auto shop, and metal fabrication. It is sad to see that our current generation of students has lost access to classes and experiences that stretch so far beyond a simple career path. It has become my goal as an educator to bring these experiences back to our students… and what a time to do so.
Our Current Dilemma
Regardless of their approach teachers, administrators, and educational policy makers share the common goal of preparing our next generation for the future by providing them with the knowledge, skills and resources necessary for their success. Although the current model of education aims to prepare students for success in college and ultimately the workplace, the approach in which it does so falls short.
This problem is heavily rooted in the desire to standardize education. In order to evaluate their success and analyze their progress over time, schools and districts need a metric in which to do so. Ultimately, this has fallen on the shoulders of standardized testing, which has become so ingrained in our current educational system that it is hard to disseminate one from the other. Herein lies the problem. If these tests are in place to measure and compare how well schools are preparing students for their futures, then by this metric a good school is simply one whose students perform well on tests. Unfortunately, this then places the focus of schools not on preparing students for the real world, but rather preparing them to do well on a test.
This problem is extrapolated by the fact that modern workforce is evolving as well. This is highlighted in the fact that, “School has traditionally rewarded conformity and singular achievement, while work is becoming a team-oriented, project-based enterprise” (Rojewski & Hill, 2014, p. 146 ). If our job as teachers is to prepare our students for life, it then inherently, becomes our responsibility as educators to support this shift.
PBL and Deeper Learning
Fortunately, for those of us who recognize the fallacy of equating learning with test performance, there are schools breaking this mold. Progressive schools such as High Tech High in San Diego, California, where I currently teach, and many others are finding ways to prepare our students in a different manner - engaging our students in meaningful, authentic and valuable work in the classroom. The question then arises, how do we measure our success?
High Tech High’s founder and CEO, Larry Rosenstock, would ultimately argue that data such as college acceptance and retention rates are far more meaningful metrics for evaluating a school’s performance and growth. Designing a school around metrics such as these has a profound effect on not only what students are learning, but how they are learning it. Simply put these students are engaged in authentic and meaningful work on a day in and day out basis, which commands a much higher level of engagement and thus deeper learning.
The term Deeper Learning has been coined as an umbrella term for the skills and knowledge that students must possess to succeed in 21st century jobs and civic life. According to the Hewlett Educational Foundation, “At its heart is a set of competencies students must master in order to develop a keen understanding of academic content and apply their knowledge to problems in the classroom and on the job” (Hewlett Foundation, 2013). This framework can be broken into six competencies, which are required to prepare students to achieve at high levels.
Deeper Learning Competencies
- Master core academic content
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Collaboration
- Effective Communication
- Self-Directed Learning
- Developing an academic mindset.
At its foundation deeper learning is about the mastery of core academic content, where students are expected to be active participants in their education. In an ideal situation, students are engaged in challenging work that requires them to seek out and acquire new information and skills, and apply what they have learned to create new knowledge. While conceptually this may seem fairly concise, the practical application of this type of learning in the classroom can take on a wide variety of different forms.
Schools such as High Tech High, and the New Tech Network of schools are embedding this within their project-based learning (PBL) approach to education. PBL is a pedagogical approach, which refers to, “students designing, planning, and carrying out extended projects that produce a publicly-exhibited output such as a product, publication, or presentation.” (Learning Futures and High Tech High, 2012, p. 13) In this type of education, students learn through the real world application of the content they are studying, by collaborating on authentic tasks that require critical thinking, creativity and effective communication allowing them to answer challenging questions and solve complex problems. A well designed project in an effective PBL classroom develops each of the deeper learning competencies.
The Maker Movement and MakerSpaces
In the past few decades, with the advent of the internet, instant communication, computer controlled machines and open access to more information than one could possibly learn in 1000 lifetimes, we are seeing a shift in the demand for new skill sets in a global economy. “The more emerging technologies become integrated into the workplace,” argue Rojewski & Hill, “the greater the need for innovation. Decision-making, problem solving and ill-structured settings, and application of technologies in novel ways to address problems will increasingly be the currency of valued workers, just as physical labor was in the industrial age”(2014, p.146 ).
Instant communication and sharing of data have led to a technological bloom unlike anything we have seen before. “The maker movement, know to past generations as ‘DIY’ (do-it-yourself), encourages collaboration, invention, and radical participation with a single goal: to create new things.” (Semanti, 2013 p. 1). “The maker movement, “ explain Peppler and Bender (2013, p. 26), “is driven by makers who pull these ideas into their communities, adapt them to suit local needs and interests, and literally build out the spaces and activities to engage young makers in active hands-on learning experiences.” Given that this movement is grounded in the process of learning through doing, the connection of making to education is abundantly clear.
“As the maker movement evolves,” states Samtani (2013, p. 2), “so, too, does the demand for a new kind of participatory public arena commonly know as a makerspace. Here budding makers mingle, share knowledge and resources, and collaborate on projects.” These makerspaces have been sprouting up across the country at an increasing rate. Part woodshop, part machine shop, part 21st century tech lab, these spaces are allowing backyard builders and basement tinkerers access to tools and materials that were previously out of reach. With current educational reform making a strong push towards science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (collectively know as STEAM), these innovative spaces are finding their way into educational settings and schools across the country. My goal has been to explore how these spaces can impact student education and how they can be used by teachers to bring deeper learning to their classrooms.
Enhancing Deeper Learning Through Making
The crux of my work over the past few years has been to take the underlying educational potential of the maker movement and connect it to deeper learning through the development of a communal makerspace at my campus known as The Maker Lounge. This project started in 2012 as a way to provide our staff and students with access to professional tools and resources needed to develop the skills required by many 21st century STEAM professions.
Since the beginning I have been the lead of this project and taken on many roles throughout the process. We began by developing an initial concept of the space determining how and when it would be used, ultimately deciding upon an open access community resource model. From there we were able to determine a location for the space (a facilities store room), and began planning the process of its development. Given the substantial cost of developing the type of space we wanted, we knew that this space would have to be developed and improved over time.
The Maker Lounge officially opened its doors to the K-12 staff and students in the Spring of 2014 housing a laser cutter, 3d printer, and a few small wood working tools. The development of this space has been an iterative process, based upon the needs and feedback from our staff. Through this process, I have since been exploring how this space can be used to impact our teachers’ ability to engage their students in deeper learning and the potential impact this can have on a student’s education. For the past year, I have partnered with a 6th grade team at our middle school to look more closely at how our MakerSpace can do just this.
Methods
In order to improve the functionality and overall usefulness of our makerspace, I have spent the past year conducting a case study with one of our sixth grade teams. My focus team consisted of two teaching partners, Ivan and Lauren, who share two classes of 26 students. Ivan covers math and science and the Lauren teaches humanities (language arts and history). I am a friend, colleague and advisor to these teachers and have approached this study as a way to improve the learning that is happening at our school. Rather than collecting and analyzing data throughout the year, and providing suggested recommendations at the end of my study based on my findings, I have been working alongside Ivan and Lauren to explore how are space is being used by staff and students and make improvements along the way. Throughout this process I have used the data and observations that I have seen to advise their work within the space and implement changes based upon their feedback.
I chose this team as a focus for my study based their work they had done with their students last year and their future plans they had for this year. Last year, this teaching team designed and implemented a project titled Archaic Arcade, in which their students investigated a variety of ancient civilizations and then created mechanical wooden arcade games highlighting attributes of their chosen civilization. They have chosen to revise and reimplement the project again this year, with the primary difference being student involvement in the use of the makerspace.
For this case study I have chosen to focus on two major targets. The first being the teachers using the space. Specifically, I have been looking at the experience new teachers have using our MakerSpace, and how this space impacts their ability to engage their students in deeper learning. I have observed this experience and collected feedback through each stage of this process, from initial introduction and training all the way through the project design process and ultimately the use of this space with their students. Through each of these stages I have provided recommendations and made changes to improve their experience. Additionally, I have spent time looking at the use of the space from a student's perspective and collected evidence about how and what the students were learning through this process.
In order to adequately assess both the Ivan and Lauren’s experience with the use of our MakerSpace and how this impacted their students’ learning I had to develop a better understanding of the past version of this project, the project’s learning outcomes, the process the students went through and the changes that were being made for this year’s project. I began this process through a series of discussions with Ivan and Lauren, where we reviewed various project handouts, looked at various student work samples from last year and discussed their aspirations for this year’s project. I then used this background information as a guide for development of the questions I would be using in my first formal interview with Ivan and Lauren, where I would be looking at how they plan to use the MakerSpace in this project and how they perceive that this could be used to develop deeper learning competencies within their class.
In order to successfully use the Maker Lounge as a resource to establish and build deeper learning competencies in the classroom, certain background knowledge and level of comfort would need to be established. My next steps focused on introducing Ivan and Lauren to the MakerSpace in order for them to develop a better understanding of the full capabilities of the Maker Lounge. Throughout this process, I was focusing on what would need to be done in order to establish the level of comfort necessary to use this space with their class. I worked with both of these teachers to teach them about the use of the various tools we have in the MakerSpace and how they could be applied to their project.
After establishing a deeper understanding of their project, and introducing them to exactly what our MakerSpace has to offer, the next part of my research was to gain insight as to how teachers new to this space plan to integrate its use into their work. In order to better understand this thought process. Using the previous data I had gathered through our discussions as a foundation, I conducted my first formal video interview with Ivan and Lauren, where I had them discuss their experience and thought process thus far, as well as how they perceived that this space would foster the development of deeper learning competencies in their classrooms.
Once Ivan and Lauren had been trained on the use of the space and had established a level of confidence necessary to bring this tool to their classroom, they began to roll out their project to their class. As they did so, I observed how they introduced the space to their students and prepared them for its use. As the project progressed, I spent time observing their classroom and how they prepared their students for the use of the space, the time they spent in the MakerSpace and how they were using it, and continued to discuss with them their experiences with this process. This was done in order to further develop a better understanding of a new teacher’s experience with the use of the space, and use this information to guide the future development of the Maker Lounge and its resources to better support future users.
As the purpose of this space is to provide students with access to tools, materials, and resources necessary to connect them with real-world processes and applications and ultimately enhance their learning, I also wanted to gather information from the students perspective. I began this process by interviewing past students about their experiences with this project last year to establish a baseline for my observations. As Ivan and Lauren began to roll out this year’s project in their classroom, I began to observe and collect information on process they used to introduce and guide their students through the use of the MakerSpace. As they did so, I spent time investigating what students were learning and how they were doing so. During this process, I spent time getting to know various students previous academic histories, while looking at their work, contributions and learning experiences throuough this project. This was done through a series of observations, discussions and interviews with students, as well as investigations of the work the student were developing.
Finally, as the project came to an end with the student presenting their work at a public exhibition, I began to compile the observations and data I had collected along with the recommendations and changes I had implemented throughout the process. I used this information as a foundation for a final formal interview with Ivan and Lauren having them reflect on their experience with this process and provide feedback and recommendations for the future development and use of the space.
Findings From a Teacher’s Perspective
After I had established a significant understanding of their project, I introduced Ivan and Lauren to various tools and machines available in our MakerSpace, making suggestions and recommendations about their potential application to their project, and ultimately began training them on their use. During this introduction both teachers immediately identified the capabilities of our laser cutter as having the potential to greatly improve both the functionality and complexity of their students’ gaming machines this year. However, during these conversations they also expressed a certain level of intimidation about the upcoming process ahead of them. Knowing their pre-existing comfort level and past experiences with making in their classes, their initial feeling of intimidation has definitely challenged my thinking as to what someone completely new to this process must feel.Following up this introduction with our first formal interview, Lauren and Ivan were quick to identify the desire to use our laser cutter as a primary resource from the space as well as their plan for introducing it to their class. Based upon their previous level of intimidation with the space, I was surprised by this as it is one of the more complex machines we have available. As of the time of the interview, our laser cutter had the most robust training resources available, which led me to wonder about the correlation between the two. Ultimately, this has led me to consider what additional resources and training tools I can develop to inspire this level of interest with the other machines and tools available. Additionally, during our interview, they identified critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration, and Self-Directed learning as targeted deeper learning competencies most likely to be impacted through the use of the Maker Lounge in this year’s Project, which would provide context for my future classroom and student observations.
After introducing their project to their students, Ivan and Lauren began to prepare their students for the use of the space by introducing their students the to laser cutter and the process of using it. In order to facilitate this process they used the Maker Lounge website extensively as a guide for their students, having them work through the established training materials and resources. I was initially surprised by this, as I had originally developed this as a tool to support teacher training on the machine, thinking that they would then introduce this to their class using their own process. The extent to which they used these resources far surpassed anything that I would have previously thought. This has provided me with a new perspective on the potential audience/users I am developing these resources for and has given me ideas for future improvements. I am currently working on developing a lesson plan for teachers who plan to introduce their students to the laser cutter coinciding with the resources developed on the site.
As Ivan and Lauren began to use the physical space with their students, I quickly became aware of some of the challenges surrounding its use. Since the space has been converted originally from a facilities storeroom, its physical size is limited, which in turn limits the number of people who can use the space at a given time. With its current layout it can fit about 12 users at a time, meaning that when using the space with students a teacher can only bring about half of their class their at a time. This meant that when Ivan and Lauren were using the space one teacher would have to take a small group down there while the other teacher remained in the classroom with the remaining students and then rotate groups as necessary. Additionally, since the space is not in close proximity to their classrooms the teachers had to be creative with how they communicated with one another.
Although there were challenges with the proximity of the space as well as the number of students who were able to use the space at a given time, I observed an unforeseen benefit to the structures the teachers put in place when using the space. When using the space, one teacher would take a small group of students down there, while the other teacher remained in the classroom with the majority of the students. This in turn meant that the students had less support available to them and thus had to be more reliant on themselves and their group members when challenges arose. This self-reliance helped them to develop and establish strategies necessary to direct their own learning.
Findings From a Student’s Perspective
Early in this study as I was establishing an understanding of Ivan and Lauren’s project, I had several discussions and interviews with their past students. Through these discussions several key themes emerged. The first was that although the students were proud of the work that they had developed last year, they felt that there was significant room for improvement, with regards to the overall functionality, aesthetics and end-user experience with their games. The second major theme that emerged from last year’s students was that the learning experience varied greatly from student to student. Many of the students I talked to explained that within their groups there was often one or two students who completed the majority of the work on their games with the other students in their group failing to contribute significantly. I feel that this may have been largely due to varying degrees of student confidence in their learning abilities, as this project required a significant level of self-directed learning. I used this information to establish a baseline for assessing growth in student learning and development of deeper learning competencies in this year’s project.
As I observed Ivan and Lauren introduce this project to their students, I was initially struck by the level of excitement and ultimately student engagement in this project. Since Ivan and Lauren first rolled out this project in their classroom, there was an almost perceptible buzz around the excitement of making something using new tools and techniques. To my surprize this high level of excitement carried on throughout all of the stages of the project. Simply put the students were drawn to the challenge of using these new tools and resources and were eager to explore their potential. This heightened level of excitement translated into a much higher level of student engagement than previously witnessed by their teachers.
As this project provided a new learning experience for both the teachers and the students, there was almost no pre-established hierarchy of competence with regards to development of their games. This provided many students with the confidence to engage in the learning process and contribute to their group in ways not previously done before. Through this case study, I was able to identify and observe evidence of each of the deeper learning competencies within the student's work. Several of the students I observed stood out as prime examples of how making can be used as a powerful tool to establish these competencies.
One student in particular, stood out as a prime example of this. This was a student who previously has struggled with math and has very low confidence in his abilities to solve problems on his own. Because of this, he frequently doesn’t complete assignments or contribute significantly to his group’s work. This problem has been extrapolated by the fact that his peers recognize this, and because of it fail to assign him to any sort of meaningful tasks. However, as the students began to learn how to design parts for the use of the laser cutter, it became evident that he had a natural understanding of geometric constructions and spatial reasoning, both of which are required to successfully develop files for the laser cutter. As such, he quickly picked up the process and developed a high level of competency and efficiency with regards to problem solving and the development of parts. As his peers began to recognize this, he quickly became the go to person for help with the design and development of laser cutter files. Through this process, his mindset began to change significantly as did his overall work output and contribution to his group. Furthermore, since the culmination of this project his teachers have noticed significant improvement in his overall approach to class and the work he continues to produce.
Conclusions
As both MakerSpace developer and progressive teacher who is constantly attempting to improve the quality of the educational experience for not only my students, but my campus as a whole, this was a wonderfully rich learning experience, which will greatly influence the future development and use of our MakerSpace within our schools. Since the beginning, I have had the end goal of establishing it as a powerful tool for developing deeper learning competencies within the classroom. Through my experience I have found that the most successful MakerSpaces are those that are designed specifically to suit the needs of their users. These spaces are constantly evolving to suit the changing needs of those using the space. This is no more true than when a MakerSpace is set in an educational setting.
Through this process, I have found that with careful planning and proper use MakerSpaces are an excellent tool in a teacher’s or educator’s arsenal that can be used to develop and enhance deeper learning competencies in the classroom. In this case study, I have been able to critically analyze our space through an outside lens and evaluate how it is currently being used by new teachers in their classrooms and look at the role this space plays in the learning experiences students are having. More importantly, I have been able to identify several key challenges with the space, which are potentially limiting its full capabilities and effectiveness. Much like software in beta testing, this information I have gathered will be used to guide the future development of the space.
From the feedback I have received from teachers, students and general observations of the integration of this space into the classroom, it is clear that even as it currently stands The Maker Lounge provides teachers and students with the ability to engage in types of high-level authentic work that has become standard in a wide variety of STEAM careers. Students are able to take on meaningful challenges and develop creative solutions requiring high levels of understanding of the core academic content, which otherwise would not be possible without the tools and resources available in our MakerSpace. Furthermore more these challenges the students are taking on and the solutions they developing through the process, are promoting and establishing a heightened level of competency in critical thinking and problem solving.
Once introduced the space, I have found that even students who have previously struggled with academics, are more confident in approaching challenging problems and developing creative solutions using the tools at hand, which has a profound effect on their general approach to school and their classes. Often times these are the students who discover skills and competencies they never knew they had. When students such as this develop a strong Academic Mindset, this doesn’t just disappear when the project is over, but rather carries over to their next assignment, project or challenge.
Using project-based learning as the foundation for integrating the use of the MakerSpace into class curriculum had a synergistic effect on the quality, complexity, and authenticity of the work our students were able to engage in. This greatly enhanced the students experience and development of each of the deeper learning competencies. Through the use of the MakerSpace students are often required to work collaboratively with one another to solve complex tasks, requiring effective communication of content and ideas in order to combine multiple viewpoints to create their end products. Ultimately, introducing making into a classroom introduces deeper learning as well.
With the relatively steep learning curve associated with preparing to use the MakerSpace, teachers can easily feel overwhelmed by the process. More often than not this intimidation stems from teachers no longer feeling like they are the experts in the classroom. I would argue that this is a good thing. For students to successfully self-direct their own learning they have to be put into situations where they are required to do so. I have long since been an advocate of learning alongside my students, and the evidence I have collected through this experience has helped to justify just how effective this approach can be in the classroom. An unforeseen benefit of teachers being new to the use of the MakerSpace is they are no longer established as the go-to experts for solutions to problems the students encountered. This shift of dynamics in the classroom means that the students will frequently be put in situations that require them to learn new skills independently, in order to develop creative solutions to their problems.
Making MakerSpaces
The end goal of this project was to explore how our MakerSpace is currently being used by our staff and students, in order to improve the user’s experience. Using deeper learning as a lens to evaluate the MakerSpace’s impact on student education and teacher practices, has helped to establish authenticity and purpose for the continued development of our space. Through this experience, it is clear that a MakerSpace is a powerful and effective tool for involving students in challenging work, and developing solutions to complex problems, both of which are foundations of Deeper Learning.
While I will be the first to admit that our space is not perfect, it has already shown its worth and established credibility among our staff as a powerful tool for enhancing student education. Additionally, our MakerSpace has allowed us to reintegrate career and technical education back into our curriculum, providing students with a greater context of potential career options in their post school lives. As our space continues to develop and expand and is used by more teachers and students over time, this resource will only continue to improve.
As it stands currently our MakerSpace is not the initial attempt but rather an ongoing evolution of a collection of resources for our staff and students. Our space has been developed from the ground up with this in mind, and I would argue that this should be model for any MakerSpace. The changes that have and will continue to occur overtime are guided by the direct needs of our staff and students. While there is no ‘one size fits all’ blueprint for the development of a MakerSpace there are ways of going about developing one. Based upon this investigation, my experiences with the development of our space, and the other MakerSpaces I have consulted on and worked to create, I have developed this site as a guide for those interested in developing and/or improving MakerSpaces in their own schools and educational settings.