Abstract
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, university professors are challenged to re-envision mathematics learning environments for virtual delivery. Those of us teaching in elementary teacher preparation programs are exploring different learning environments that not only promote meaningful learning but also foster positive attitudes about mathematics teaching. One learning environment that has been shown to be effective for introducing preservice teachers to the creative side of mathematics—the mathematics makerspace—promotes computational thinking and pedagogical understandings about teaching mathematics, but the collaborative, hands-on nature of such a learning environment is difficult to simulate in virtual delivery. This article describes the research-based design decisions for the re-envisioned virtual mathematics makerspace.
Highlights
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, university professors are challenged to re-envision mathematics learning environments for virtual delivery
The making mindset that is developed from participating in makerspaces fosters creativity and innovation, risk-taking, and problem-solving by providing a safe environment to explore ideas and inviting the learner to think in different ways with a “can-do attitude” (Dougherty, 2013, p. 9)
Brock’s mathematics makerspaces were found to effectively promote holistic mindsets about teaching mathematics in three areas: preservice teachers engaged in computational thinking throughout participation in the makerspace activities and described their thinking in computational terms; they developed confidence with, and knowledge about, how to teach effectively with technology tools to promote mathematics understandings; and they connected curriculum learning goals with makerspace activities, thereby identifying the value of makerspaces as alternative learning environments for the teaching of mathematics (Figg & Khirwadkar, 2019; Khirwadkar & Figg, 2019)
Summary
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, university professors are challenged to re-envision mathematics learning environments for virtual delivery. Faced with designing instruction that ensures modeling of best practices for teaching mathematics, the new challenge is re-envisioning how collaborative mathematics activities can be adjusted to ensure meaningful learning takes place virtually.
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