Maker education initiators and innovators

Abstract

In an effort to interest more students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classes (STEM), more school systems have implemented maker education in the formal school setting. However, many teachers assigned to implement the maker curricula met difficulties due to their unfamiliarity with the maker mindset and lack of the foundational knowledge needed to implement a transformative maker education program. Some of these initial maker educators became accomplished practitioners after engaging in autodidactic cycles of experiential learning as adult learners. If we were better able to understand the stories and experiences of effective maker educators as they transformed themselves from novice to accomplished maker educators, then we might be able to support the maker education continuum by contributing insights to guide the novice educators. Using Kolb's theory of experiential learning as a lens, this narrative inquiry research study sought to answer the following research questions using interview data from six educators in private and public JPK-12 school settings in the United States. 1.) What influences and events in the life stories of teachers channeled them to become maker educators? 2.) What were the obstacles and opportunities that maker educators encountered during their transformation from novice to proficient levels of expertise? The major findings were the following: the backgrounds of maker educators impacted their choices and ability to acquire the relevant maker skills; maker educators needed time to experientially acquire the skills and understandings needed to gain competency; the effectiveness of maker educators depended on the support of their administrators; and proficient maker educators had specific attributes that reinforced their skills.--Author's abstract