Makerspaces - where did they come from, and where are they going?
If you’re a teacher, librarian, museum employee, or anyone who works with kids, it’s likely you’ve been hearing the buzz about makerspaces for a while now.
The maker movement is characterized by a group of diverse individuals, with equally diverse backgrounds and skill sets, who work together as a community to make something. Tinkering, engineering, fabricating, artistry and playing are equally valued, as well as a strong emphasis on a DIY attitude. Though makerspaces, hackerspaces, and maker faires have grown and expanded exponentially in recent years, many agree that it has been around for quite a while now. Since do-it-yourself is at the heart of the maker mindset, publications like Make magazine (“the Gutenberg Bible of the burgeoning ‘maker’ community” According to Martinez and Stager (p. 27) and Popular Science have been sharing projects for years. And since collaboration is a key component, evening DIY classes, shop, and science fairs could be considered. Stretch even farther back to the mid-1800’s, when ‘mechanic arts’ schools started cropping up. Agrees Danielle Applestone, founder and chief executive of San Francisco-based Other Machine, “The maker movement is an old thing,“People used to make their own clothes and make their own food and fix their own cars. This new thing that we call the maker movement is like, ‘Oh yeah, remember when we didn’t throw everything away? Remember when we didn’t buy everything generic?'”
Are they here to stay?
So considering its recent popularity and resurgence, is the maker movement a flash in the pan, or is it here to stay? Many schools, libraries, and museums are arguing it’s the way of the future, and are integrating the idea of makerspaces and DIY learning into their curriculum.
How is the maker movement helping kids learn?
Children, by nature, love to play, explore, and touch things, but time for this sort of learning often gets pushed aside in favor of standards-based, teach-to-the-test instruction. As educators, we’re tasked with implementing creative-thinking, collaborative thinking, flexibility, resilience, and problem-solving skills at a young age for success in life.
Makerspaces lend themselves beautifully towards building and strengthening these traits. Students are encouraged to be curious, self-directed, and ask questions - not to be given step-by-step instructions. The opportunities for cross-curricular collaboration are endless. This makes learning even more meaningful, and this type of learning lasts a lifetime. As MIT Media Lab’s Mitch Resnick in his keynote speech from the 2014 Constructionism and Creativity Conference puts it, “To thrive, they must learn to design innovative solutions to the unexpected problems that will undoubtedly arise in their lives. Their success and satisfaction will be based on their ability to think and act creatively. Knowledge alone is not enough: they must learn how to use their knowledge creatively.” Additionally, makerspaces incite interest and engagements of even the most difficult learners, which is one of the greatest struggles faced by teachers of any age student. A group of teachers at the 2015 NSF Maker Summit agreed: “Making allows a way to engage the non-traditional learner, somebody who’s just not going to do the homework or do the textbook . . . somebody that learns by hands-on or visually. That’s something that’s very unique that Making can [provide] to students.”
How can art lend itself to makerspaces?
The greatest (perhaps) secret about art rooms is that they have been makerspaces forever! These spaces - and their teachers - foster creativity, encourage exploration, and are built to get dirty. The materials in my recycling bin alone are very attractive to my 5-year-olds, and, when given the tools and the time, I witness 100% engagement across all learners.
Robert W. Sweeny, an art teacher, teacher, notes: “The maker movement can be seen at a combination of top-down and bottom-up forces that are social, economic, and artistic. Both are compelling models for inquiry within the field of art education, as they relate to contemporary approaches for learning and making.” He reflects on his experience with his first student makerspace: “Each of the students was eager to work in the space, and maintained this eagerness throughout the semester. Of course, the flexible schedule and open-ended curriculum of the independent study allowed them to find their way through the learning process. One cannot assume that students would come to a similar result if the educational setting were dramatically different.”
Luz Rivas recalls starting up an all-girls makerspace from scratch, starting with basic supplies, and gradually integrating more high-tech tools: “As we raised funds, we began to buy our own equipment and materials. Later, a 3-D printer was donated. We started the program by creating projects with electronics and supplies available at a hardware store because these materials had a very low per-girl cost. It took a few weeks for the girls to adjust to not receiving step-by-step instructions and to become familiar with the materials. As they gained skills and confidence, they started to request specific supplies to build their inventions. Little by little, we collected resources. Today, we have closets full of creative and technical tools.”
How is technology catering to the maker movement with regards to young learners?
New tools and technologies are being developed with school-aged kids in mind. 3d printing technology is one of the cutting-edge tools that is increasing in popularity - and affordability - in the classroom. A company called littleBits, which is an easy-to-use platform for inventing and coding, is catching on in some schools.
“In May, the company launched the School Chapters program, designed to build a global network of educators who use littleBits in their curriculum. About 45 schools have signed up as official chapters so far, though already more than 3,000 schools worldwide use littleBits as a teaching tool. The platform has been used not only to increase kids’ technological literacy and introduce them to engineering concepts but to teach Greek mythology and even poetry, says Ayah Bdeir, Littlebits’ founder and CEO. She is acutely aware that her products are training the next generation of makers—customers one day, perhaps, of Other Machine and Glowforge.” The kits emphasize the play aspect and fun part first, and coding second, so kids don’t think of it as a tedious or boring process, though being able to code is the ultimate goal.
Photo: littleBits
How can makerspaces help communities?
Maker space research suggests greater success with both teaching and learning through collaboration, specifically between schools and the community. In Pittsburgh, PA, the Children’s Museum has successfully implemented one such program. Lisa Brahms, Ph.D., Director of Learning and Research at Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh describes her program called MAKESHOP: “MAKESHOP is a Makerspace for children and families at the museum. (We) collaborate with teachers and administrators to design replicable educational models, through crowdfunding and professional development that authentically integrate making programs into regional schools, museums, and libraries. Museums and informal learning spaces employ free-choice learning in their programming. Free-choice learning is, in essence, “learning for fun,” and emphasizes learners’ intrinsic motivation to learn because they enjoy the process itself.” She goes on to describe the advantages of such an alliance: “There are several benefits from collaboration and partnership between informal and formal learning institutions, including professional development for both museum and school educators; student/ teacher access to more learning materials (museum collections, hands-on components); fostering a sense of community between teachers and museum educators; and contributing to long-term learning experiences through multi-visit programs and joint evaluation efforts.”
Makeshop, photo courtesy of Make Magazine
Lowery Stokes Sims, curator at the Museum of Art and Design in NYC described their first Makers Biennial: “The exhibition wound through several floors of the building, even occupying the stairwells, which had been surfaced with scratch-and-sniff wallpaper. We use the term ‘making’ — as opposed to other such closely related terms as craft, workmanship, and artistry — because it emphasizes the active and open nature of our subject. To capture this fascinating range of production, only a very broad term like ‘making’ will do.”
Luckily, not only schools and museums have caught onto how important the Maker Movement is to education, but so has the White House. “The White House announced several initiatives to assist with these efforts (The White House, 2015)...and spurred the creation of the MakeSchools Alliance and the growth of the Mayor's Makers Challenge, which was announced in advance. The MakeSchools Alliance is a group of 153 higher education institutions who seek to support the growth of the Maker Movement by working to implement Making activities and efforts on their campuses.”
Photo from New York Hall of Science Makerspace
Are makerspaces here to stay? Who is responsible for keeping them going?
There are several factors that give makerspaces staying power. They can be created with a wide range of materials, ranging from paper towel tubes to 3d printers, and a combination of high-cost and low created even more opportunities. They cater to all skill levels, interests, and personalities, and the potential for engagement surpasses other learning and teaching methods.
Will Holmann of placesjournal.org agrees that “the potential for makerspaces is high. In America there are almost 120,000 libraries, 2,600 YMCAs, and 1,100 community colleges, most of which provide education and access to shared resources.”
Ayah Bdeir, founder of littleBits, says “The future of the movement depends on “speak[ing] outside the choir, so you’re not just talking to people who have already been convinced of the virtues of making and experimenting.” I’ve run up against this myself, with my own colleagues. There is a reluctance or trepidation to learn about, let alone embrace, new technology or ways of teaching. Researchers Susan Blackley, Rachel Sheffield, Rebecca Walker, Rekha Koul, Nicoleta Maynard have found that “Research in primary education has demonstrated a reluctance of teachers to engage with STEM subjects, and a lack of confidence in teaching mathematics and science (Hackling, Murcia, West, & Anderson, 2014). In addition there is evidence indicating that females do not engage in STEM activities in the same numbers as their male counterparts (National Research Council, 2011; US Department of Commerce, 2013)”
Given these sentiments, and the feelings and opinions I’ve viewed at my own schools, I think the success of the maker movement lies with us, the teachers. The summit report from ASEE, the American Society for Engineering Education, backs me up: “educators will play a critical role in the ultimate success of the maker movement.” Schools are beginning to take note, and are providing tools and training for implementing STEM, STEAM, and makerspaces in their curriculum. It doesn’t stop at elementary or high school, either - colleges like MIT are even looking at their applicant’s maker portfolios when deciding on enrollment.
We have the tools, both physically and mentally, to start such spaces within our walls, but I believe the biggest hurdle we need to overcome is buy in. Professional development, visiting such museum collaborators, or even visiting people in our own district who are approaching learning in this way would be paramount to the interest, familiarity, and eye-opening benefits that makerspaces have for children. And we are in the perfect position to have the responsibility and honor to make this change!
References:
Make Magazine
Creating a Classroom Makerspace
Luz Rivas
Educational Horizons
Vol 93, Issue 1, pp. 25 - 26
First Published October 1, 2014
Proceedings of the Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education, University of Queensland, Sept 28th to Sept 30th, 2016, page X, ISBN Number 978-0-9871834-4-6.
Making and breaking in an art education makerspace
Sweeny, R.W.
Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (2017)
9 May 2017
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
MARTINEZ, SYLVIA LIBOW. STAGER, GARY S. INVENT TO LEARN: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom. CONSTRUCTING MODERN KNOWL, 2016.
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