Making in Indigenous Contexts: Design Considerations for Culturally Responsive Workshops

• In Event: Making the Future: Addressing Critiques, Transitions, and New Challenges in Maker Education

Abstract

Objectives: Although making is widely recognized as a cultural phenomenon in terms of educational practices and policy (e.g., Halverson & Sheridan, 2014), broader tensions of power, race, and culture have also emerged (Philip, Bang, & Jackson, 2018). For instance, the maker movement has largely been criticized for ignoring the “histories, needs, assets, and experiences of working-class students and students of color” (Vossoughi, Hooper, & Escudé, 2016). While some learners may benefit from the opportunities afforded by making experiences, other learners may feel disconnected from their culture and struggle to see themselves belonging. For example, American Indians/Alaskan Natives (AI/ANs) comprise 2 percent of the U.S. population, yet make up only 0.2 percent of those employed in science and engineering occupations (National Science Board, 2015). In this project, we contribute new insights to this conversation by reframing making to include Indigenous perspectives and technologies while merging Indigenous and western research methodologies.

Our team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers leveraged existing partnerships with local school districts serving Indigenous youth (ages 12 to 18) and Indigenous communities to co-design and implement a series of video game design workshops. The Indigenous parent council for our partner districts emphasizes the importance of “self-esteem, healthy-living, and culture” alongside fundamental mathematics and language arts skills. With these principles in mind, we developed game design workshops intended to teach Indigenous youth key communication and computational skills that were also culturally-responsive in nature (Eglash, Gilbert, & Foster, 2013). We hosted workshops to teach youth how to design and develop video games using the RPG Maker MV platform, which allows users to create their own role-playing games. Youth designed and developed their own video games over the course of four meetings resulting in approximately 16 hours of design time.

Methods: We use design-based research principles of multiple iterative cycles of development and implementation (Design-Based Research Collective, 2003) to inform our overall workshop design as well as to better understand key culturally-responsive design considerations. For instance, we incorporate the use of Indigenous research methodologies, including talking circles (Archibald, 2008; Lavallée, 2009) and Indigenous storytelling sessions (Archibald, 2008). Additionally, youth play video games created by Indigenous game designers that share aspects of Indigenous culture (e.g. Never Alone) prior to participating in discussions surrounding varying narrative structures and conducting multiple playtesting sessions with one another.

Results and Significance: For the workshop, we envision a more holistic making experience that not only encourages students to utilize multiple scientific knowledge systems in a complementary way (Brayboy & Maughan, 2009), but also provides students with tools for navigating across diverse knowledge systems (Bang & Medin, 2010). As a result of multiple iterations, future workshop design considerations include (1) cultivating community resources for youth to utilize while designing their games in addition to (2) designing opportunities for youth to engage with members of their respective Indigenous community throughout the game design process. This work provides insights into providing making interventions that allow for Indigenous learners to identify their knowledge constructions through an “Indigenous lens” (Brayboy, 2005, p. 429).

Authors

• Megan Marie Hamilton, Utah State University

• Breanne K. Litts, Utah State University