Learning in the Making: A Comparative Case Study of Three Makerspaces

• In Event: Learning in the Making: Studying, Understanding, and Designing Makerspaces

Abstract

Makerspaces are emerging, informal sites for creative production in art, science, and engineering where people of all ages blend digital and physical technologies to explore ideas, learn technical skills, and create new products. These sites have garnered increasing attention, as public institutions such as museums, libraries and schools are designing and implementing their own makerspaces. While the concept of “making” has intuitive educational appeal and new technologies such as 3-D printers and arduino circuitry boards have expanded the possibilities for new forms of making, little attention has been paid to how these environments function as learning environments and to what ends. The purpose of this comparative case study, funded the National Science Foundation, is to examine what and how people learn in makerspaces. To this end, over the course of one year we conducted ongoing field observations, interviews, and collected artifacts from three makerspaces: Sector67, a prototypical makerspace located in Madison, WI comprised of a population of mostly young adults who engage in individual and collaborative making. Mount Elliott Makerspace, a makerspace for all ages though currently primarily comprised of youth in Detroit, MI, and Makeshop, a makerspace in the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, facilitated by adult “makers” working with young children and their families. These sites were purposefully selected as well-regarded spaces that represent a distinct approach to makerspaces serving distinct populations. Our initial case studies were informed by a constructionist framework that identifies the centrality of making in learning (Harel & Papert, 1991); studies of the design of studio learning environments (author, 2011; 2013) and our data collection and analyses were guided by activity theory (Cole & Engestrom, 1993) where we examine how tools, rules and goals intersect to create a learning environment, guided by the questions:
1) Who participates in makerspaces and how does their participation change over time?
2) What technologies are used, in what ways and to what ends?
3) What learning/teaching/collaborative arrangements are present in the site?
4) What is learned through participation in the makerspaces?

We present a view that documents how makerspaces extend beyond just individual making experiences by creating a community of learners with particular stances towards making and we highlight how each makerspace both adapts to their local population and resources and connects to the larger “maker” movement. We see the impact of this work as providing insight into the design features that support learning in makerspaces and suggesting avenues for research into what is learned through participation in makerspaces.

Authors

• Kimberly Marie Sheridan, George Mason University

• Erica Rosenfeld Halverson, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Breanne K. Litts, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Trevor Owens, George Mason University

• Lisa Brahms, University of Pittsburgh