- Year 2019
- NSF Noyce Award # 1557155
- First Name Michael
- Last Name Marder
- Discipline Other: Maker Education
- Co-PI(s)
Shelly R. Rodriguez, The University of Texas, rodriguez@uteach.utexas.edu
- Presenters
Shelly R. Rodriguez, The University of Texas, rodriguez@uteach.utexas.edu
Need
Existing as a convergence of the arts, crafts, engineering, mathematics, science, and technology, making is made visible through the breadth and depth of what makers create (Marshall & Harron, 2018). Most importantly, the making of personally meaningful artifacts allows makers to form community connections, develop agency, find support, and build the foundations to imagine, make, and iterate. Interest in making in K-12 STEM education is increasing (Bevan, 2017; Blikstein, 2013) and educators are starting to bring making out of the hobbyist space and into classrooms to ensure access for all students. As making emerges in schools, there is a need to help teachers develop confidence with the maker tools and interdisciplinary pedagogies that support this empowering way of learning. Thus, making and the associated Maker Movement provide an opportunity to re-envision science teacher preparation and help teachers develop convergent discipline skills.
Goals
Guiding questions for this work include: How can teacher preparation respond to the need for school-based maker-centered learning and teacher training? What are elements of success for a robust maker professional development program?
What are best practices and strategies for building partnerships across disciplines and between formal and informal education spaces in order to support making?
Approach
UTeach Maker complements the established UTeach teacher preparation courses and field experiences. The interdisciplinary nature of making encourages students to draw on disciplines outside of their primary concentration to solve complex problems. During their time in the program, preservice teachers work with mentors from a variety of fields to develop a Maker Showcase (website) consisting of four domains: maker philosophy, maker project, maker community, and maker education. The Showcase domains serve as the program framework and the website provides a personal repository of experience for each maker. Students are encouraged to highlight the interdisciplinary nature of their work throughout the showcase.
Outcomes
UTeach Maker started in Fall 2016 with five students. Since that time, the program has served 48 students and produced 20 program graduates. Over time, the program has identified success factors including the development of the Showcase framework, community support, and the public review and presentation of work (Rodriguez, Harron, & DeGraff, 2017). Program outcomes include: increasing interest in making throughout the UTeach program, increasing the number of preservice teachers earning the maker micro-credential, re-engaging with UTeach graduates, creating materials for maker-centered lesson planning, establishing a lesson bank, and promoting making through practitioner publications. Moving forward, we are analyzing collected data for publication on participant teaching practices and we are working to expand to other UTeach sites around the country. UTeach Maker has made a national commitment for this expansion that will be announced at The Nation of Makers conference in June.
Broader Impacts
Integrating maker approaches into preservice teaching programs sets the stage for a far reaching impact on educational institutions and ultimately, the student learning experience. UTeach Maker weaves together the university program, local schools, and the wider community. It provides a model for rigorous, interdisciplinary, sustained maker-focused professional learning. Our program has strengthened the local maker ecosystem by providing internships, participating in maker events, and helping to organize the annual Maker Faire Educator Summit. We have strengthened the national ecosystem through publications, presentations, and videos featured in the STEM for All Video Showcase that have received over 4500 views. We have established a maker lesson bank focused on secondary STEM lessons to serve as a repository for maker educators nationwide. We are expanding to additional universities and advising K-12 schools who are establishing their own maker initiatives
