The mind of a maker: a learning framework for a continuum of K-12 invention education

Abstract

Invention education offers an exciting combination of knowledge and skill-based learning that is intertwined with important social and emotional competencies, especially for youth engaged in structured programs. KID Museum in Bethesda, Maryland, is an experiential museum and K-12 makerspace whose offerings include a suite of invention programs implemented through formal curricula, field trips, and out-of-school time opportunities. KID Museum’s Mind of a Maker learning framework is a promising pedagogical model for conceptualizing the broad range of learning outcomes targeted in these programs. By comparing to other frameworks developed separately but concurrently, the Mind of a Maker offers insights into the underlying values and learning theories that shape invention education and can contribute to a field-wide understanding of this area of experiential learning. This article explores constructs that promote an inventive mindset that may be reproducible in other learning contexts, as well as the ways in which framework outcomes are integrated into the design, reach, and evaluation of KID Museum’s invention programs.