Makers are constructing knowledge as they build physical artifacts that have real-world value.
weekend to make things, show off, challenge one another, laugh, play, invent, tinker, solve problems and inspire.
In this magical environment full of fire-breathing sculptures; cupcake cars; bicycle-powered rock bands; soda and Mentos–propelled fountains; and workshops in programming, soldering, welding, lock-picking, knitting, crocheting and robot making, it is expertise — rather than the age of the expert — that is the coin of the realm. Makers are constructing knowledge as they build physical artifacts that have real-world value.
Making in the classroom
Fortunately for educators, making overlaps with the natural inclination of children to learn by doing. The maker movement values human passion, capability and the ability to make things happen and solve problems anywhere, anytime.
Classrooms that celebrate the process of design and making, which includes overcoming challenges, produce students who start to believe they can solve any problem. Students learn to trust themselves as competent problem solvers who don’t need to be told what to do next. This stance can be a crucial change for children who are used to getting explicit directions every minute of every day. It can also illuminate for teachers how authentic assessment can really work in the classroom.
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By Sylvia Martinez and Gary Stager
The impulse to create is one of the most basic human drives. As far back as the Stone Age, we were using materials in our environment to fashion tools for solving the problems we encountered. And in the millions of years since then, we have never stopped creating. In fact, the rise of civilization is largely defined by the progress of technology of one kind or another.
Today, the availability of affordable constructive technology and the ability to share online has fueled the latest evolutionary spurt in this facet of human development. New tools that enable hands-on learning — 3D printers, robotics, microprocessors, wearable computers, e-textiles, “smart” materials and new programming languages — are giving individuals the power to invent. We’re not just talking about adults. Children of all ages can use these tools to move from passive receivers of knowledge to real-world makers. This has the potential to completely revolutionize education as we know it. And the movement has already begun.
Welcome to the maker movement
The key to the explosion of the maker movement is accessibility. Today ingenious new inventions are affordable and often free. Anyone can find and share tools, instructions and ideas online, where a vibrant community of hundreds of thousands of global problem solvers congregates — when they’re not collaborating face to face.
In 2013, there were more than 100 Maker Faires — “the greatest show-and-tells on earth” — and Mini Maker Faires across the globe. At last year’s Maker Faire in San Mateo, California, more than 150,000 children and adults gathered over a weekend to make things, show off, challenge one another, laugh, play, invent, tinker, solve problems and inspire.
In this magical environment full of fire-breathing sculptures; cupcake cars; bicycle-powered rock bands; soda and Mentos–propelled fountains; and workshops in programming, soldering, welding, lock-picking, knitting, crocheting and robot making, it is expertise — rather than the age of the expert — that is the coin of the realm. Makers are constructing knowledge as they build physical artifacts that have real-world value.
The maker movement: A learning revolution
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