ERIC Number: EJ1172554
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Mar
Pages: 8
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0036-8148
EISSN: N/A
School Maker Faires
Harlow, Danielle; Hansen, Alexandria
Science and Children, v55 n7 p30-37 Mar 2018
The Maker Movement (Dougherty 2012) highlights innovation and creativity through "activities focused on designing, building, modifying, and/or repurposing material objects, for playful or useful ends, oriented toward making a 'product' of some sort that can be used, interacted with, or demonstrated" (Martin 2015, p. 31). When engaged in these types of activities, children explore materials, learn and try out new skills, and fiddle with technology. Maker Faires, community-wide celebrations of making, have been hosted across the world, with the largest of these attracting 100,000 visitors annually. At these events, people of all ages and of various careers and hobbies gather to showcase work and learn from one another. This article presents School Maker Faires, the name given to school-based maker faires that are licensed under Maker Media. While any school can host a Maker event, registering the event (for free) with Maker Media (makerfaire.com/global/school) provides permission to use the School Maker Faire logo and to access a community of teachers and administrators organizing other School Maker Faires and resources for planning and hosting a School Maker Faire. These events typically showcase student work and work-in-progress to families and the community while also providing opportunities for attendees to make alongside students and teachers. During the 2015-2016 year, there was an emphasis in maker education in a science methods course for preservice elementary school teachers. The culminating activity was that the teacher candidates facilitated a School Maker Faire for local elementary school students. This article discusses the course that supported their design and assessment of a maker education activity and the culminating event.
Descriptors: Creative Activities, Science Instruction, Science Activities, Preservice Teachers, Elementary School Science, Elementary School Students, Elementary School Teachers, Teaching Methods, Design, Science Materials
National Science Teachers Association. 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-3000. Tel: 800-722-6782; Fax: 703-243-3924; e-mail: membership@nsta.org; Web site: http://www.nsta.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A