Maker Educator Boot Camp & Me
A Match Made at Children's Museum of Pittsburgh - June 2018
Why Make?
Children's Museum of Pittsburgh Info
Allegheny Water-works Sculpture
Buhl Building
Backyard Garden
Boot camp Instead of the Beach?
No, not because of my hips....it was not that type of boot camp!
For example, this past school year, I read the students a book about murals in a Latino neighborhood. They adored the accompanying mural making activity using butcher paper on the tables, crayons and markers, and some background salsa music. The act of doing and exploring patterns and shapes brought that book alive for students and created our own community atmosphere right there in the media center, something I could not have achieved with only sharing the story. The ESOL students started speaking Spanish and showing us salsa dance moves, and the rest of the students practiced their Spanish vocabulary, too.
I was so excited when I found out I had been afforded the opportunity to attend, and I wanted to record my journey. This is the blog of my progression through the experience.
Day 1
As background for my interest in maker spaces, I created a small, mobile, creative space in my media center, but I have never been sure if I have doing it "right." And, when I look around at other schools and districts, I've seen all sorts of Maker Spaces, some very techie and some on the creative side. Which was right? (I lean towards creative, because that's my style.) It turns out they are both "right." Making is about using real world items to create, to explore, to learn, and to find joy while doing it.
We were immediately turned loose with odds and ends of found objects today and told to create something collaboratively. i was a little intimidated....what if my table mates were all more creative and way cooler than me? It turned out that did not matter; we all worked well together in creating a super hero costume. I loved that our project did not start out being a super hero costume, but that's the way it evolved. That afternoon, we were given a scavenger hunt to complete throughout the museum, so we got to explore the activities and maker spaces. I was most impressed with a little girl, who was about three, making a screen print. Watching her brought home the idea that with encouragement and a little help, creativity can blossom, no matter what age, perceived ability, and prior knowledge you might have.
Day 2
In the afternoon, I went to the Electronics Makeshop. I learned how to make circuits, switches, and take apart stuff. I even learned how to solder and solder suck. Solder is that metal alloy that holds all of the little switches and circuits in your electronics in place. What amazed me the most was the intricacy of the circuit boards that were in a $9.99 dvd player. (I took it apart, and it had a $9.99 sticker on it before I did.) This workshop definitely fell into the category of tinkering, and it was a great way to explore tools and materials. I learned safety in that there are some items you should not use in a tinkering studio, such as cameras, because even cameras that have not been used for a long time can hold electricity. The circuits were rather simple, but it was empowering knowing how they work.
Day 3
Second makeshop of the day was Heavy Materials, the title of which struck fear in my heart. I can't even hammer a nail straight. After the makeshop, I could rasp, saw, and nail. I even knew what a pilot hole was and why you drill them. Though I probably will not be turning my students loose with saws and hammers anytime in the near future, I saw the value in kids learning how to use them in more sheltered environments. My new found skills with a leveler will be helpful in hanging posters, too!
Day 4 - Conclusion
Theory Behind the Movement
Going back to my notes from my Educational Psychology class (GA Southern), I found that in constructivist theory, the learning occurs inside the student’s head. Yet, it is the action of building something that is personally meaningful, or creating a tangible product that is shareable, that cements the real learning for the learner (Martinez & Stager, 2013). Fleming (2015) explains, “The Maker Movement is about moving from consumption to creation and turning knowledge into action."
In addition to learning theory, I was interested in students' affective reactions to the making experience. Throughout this blog, I shared my emotional connection to what I was doing, and I did that with purpose. Our students may experience similar emotions when they approach new tasks. Our job as educators is to encourage students to work through those fears in order to try new things (even multiplication tables). "Brave before perfect" became my motto (credit: Traci Chun) during this journey.
References:
Chun, T. (2017, June 13). Future ready librarians; Empowering students as creators (Webinar post). Retrieved from https://futureready.org/event/future-ready-librarians-empowering-students-creators/
Fleming, L. (2015). Worlds of making; Best practices for establishing a maker space at your school. Corwin.
Martinez, S. & Stager, G. (2013). Invent to learn; Making, tinkering, and engineering in the classroom. Modern Knowledge Press.