Maker pedagogy

More and more teachers are beginning to realise that creating environments and possibilities where students make things is a very powerful pedagogy. Students learn a number of skills and draw on a variety of subjects when they design and create objects. Teaching takes a back seat and product based education is sidelined in favour of process based learning. Recently I have visited a number of schools in the UK and New Zealand where children have shown a deeper understanding of their subject when they are engaged in making. Seymour Papert's work on constructionism outlines the cognitive gain that occurs when we create something new rather than simply repeat knowledge that has already been acquired. They create strong mental models of their world by engaging directly in the process of construction. Learners who produce more than they consume are generally more aware of their own learning processes and can adapt more quickly to changing environments and demands on their skills. My own students become familiar with researching, problem solving, decision making, team working and expressing their creativity. They generally work harder and also develop ability to reflect on their actions and critically evaluate their own work. They are constantly creating new content, and presenting their new knowledge in blogs, videos and on other digital media. Here's a video (made by Oliver Quinlan) of two of my undergrad students discussing what they learnt in the act of creating personal blogs: