Are Makerspaces a fad?
Do you feel that coding, robotics, makerspaces, STEM/STEAM are fads or trends in education? Do you think any of these has or will reach a tipping point? Are these topics that you need to stay current about as a leader?
What big questions! I do believe that the national emphasis of STEM education is a trend, but will be both long-lasting and necessary. My previous supervisor used to say that our education system (as a species!) modulates between valuing the humanities and STEM (she always thought about time periods such as the Renaissaince, the Industrial Revolution, the Space Race...), and that is why she loved the emphasis of the A in STEAM. Her perspective helped me evaluate the context of the national emphasis on STEM education, and process why the makerspace movement was so important.
While physical Makerspaces are definitely trending in education right now, I also don't think the concepts behind them will disappear any time soon. The motivations behind makerspaces are to bring back the emphasis in education to project-based, hands-on learning with teachers guiding students and acting like facilitators. The way a student learns in a makerspace- through creation, redesign and adaptation- is an entirely different process than absorbing information or memorizing facts in a more traditional classroom. I do not think this mindset shift of re-prioritizing project based learning -that is taking root across the country, and around the world- will slow any time soon.
With the continuing evolution of technology in our world, I think an emphasis on STEM education is crucial for our young students. STEM topics help our students to learn to think critically, teach them to problem solve in a systematic fashion, and to use tools/materials in efficient and effective ways. The development of the internet and readily accessible technology has changed the way we have taught students over the past 15 years, and makerspaces (I think) will be a small part of the change yet to come.
Having worked in a Makerspace, I do have experience working with some of the available tools, materials and software. I was lucky enough to work at a makerspace that formed connections within our local community, both with public school districts, private schools and home school coops, while maintaining collaborative relationships with engineering firms, the local University, and technology-oriented companies. While working in the makerspace, I found myself often in a "translator" role between educators who brought students to the space and scientists/technology experts who volunteered there or who were demonstrating new technology. Translating the uses of technology for educators was an important step in helping them feel connected to the new tools, for it was crucial they felt like they could leave the space with something applicable to bring back to their classrooms. For the scientists and engineers I worked with, I felt like my job was to teach them the educator's perspectives- talk to them about student misconceptions, learning capabilities, and teaching strategies. For most scientists and engineers, the perspective of an educator was hugely informative as they processed how to best demonstrate and distribute the scientific knowledge they had. I definitely learned from both the education and engineering communities, and felt grateful to have been given access to both perspectives.
Budak, Ceren & Agrawal, Divyakant & El Abbadi, Amr. (2010). Where the blogs tip: Connectors, mavens, salesmen and translators of the blogosphere. SOMA 2010 - Proceedings of the 1st Workshop on Social Media Analytics. 10.1145/1964858.1964873.
Which of you currently play the role of maven, connector, salesperson, or translator on one of these topics? What advice can you offer? Can you name anyone in your personal learning network currently playing the roles of mavens, connectors, or salesman?
What big questions! I do believe that the national emphasis of STEM education is a trend, but will be both long-lasting and necessary. My previous supervisor used to say that our education system (as a species!) modulates between valuing the humanities and STEM (she always thought about time periods such as the Renaissaince, the Industrial Revolution, the Space Race...), and that is why she loved the emphasis of the A in STEAM. Her perspective helped me evaluate the context of the national emphasis on STEM education, and process why the makerspace movement was so important.
While physical Makerspaces are definitely trending in education right now, I also don't think the concepts behind them will disappear any time soon. The motivations behind makerspaces are to bring back the emphasis in education to project-based, hands-on learning with teachers guiding students and acting like facilitators. The way a student learns in a makerspace- through creation, redesign and adaptation- is an entirely different process than absorbing information or memorizing facts in a more traditional classroom. I do not think this mindset shift of re-prioritizing project based learning -that is taking root across the country, and around the world- will slow any time soon.
With the continuing evolution of technology in our world, I think an emphasis on STEM education is crucial for our young students. STEM topics help our students to learn to think critically, teach them to problem solve in a systematic fashion, and to use tools/materials in efficient and effective ways. The development of the internet and readily accessible technology has changed the way we have taught students over the past 15 years, and makerspaces (I think) will be a small part of the change yet to come.
Having worked in a Makerspace, I do have experience working with some of the available tools, materials and software. I was lucky enough to work at a makerspace that formed connections within our local community, both with public school districts, private schools and home school coops, while maintaining collaborative relationships with engineering firms, the local University, and technology-oriented companies. While working in the makerspace, I found myself often in a "translator" role between educators who brought students to the space and scientists/technology experts who volunteered there or who were demonstrating new technology. Translating the uses of technology for educators was an important step in helping them feel connected to the new tools, for it was crucial they felt like they could leave the space with something applicable to bring back to their classrooms. For the scientists and engineers I worked with, I felt like my job was to teach them the educator's perspectives- talk to them about student misconceptions, learning capabilities, and teaching strategies. For most scientists and engineers, the perspective of an educator was hugely informative as they processed how to best demonstrate and distribute the scientific knowledge they had. I definitely learned from both the education and engineering communities, and felt grateful to have been given access to both perspectives.
Budak, Ceren & Agrawal, Divyakant & El Abbadi, Amr. (2010). Where the blogs tip: Connectors, mavens, salesmen and translators of the blogosphere. SOMA 2010 - Proceedings of the 1st Workshop on Social Media Analytics. 10.1145/1964858.1964873.
I completely agree with you. Often times, maybe most of the time all aspects of education are in some sort of trend phase. I too believe that STEAM and Makerspaces are here to stay for awhile. More and more technology is happening everyday, students need these projects to problem solve and create. Very nice post:)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you did some great things as a "translator". I feel this is a role that is very important in supporting teachers. For some, makerspace is such unknown territory that they need the information translated in order to truly understand the benefits are for the students, teachers and the community. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree... trends, but not leaving any time soon. I'm hoping as we move forward that it will catch on more and more and used in "real life" scenarios so that is no longer JUST a trend, but the beginning of something more.
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