Fostering learning through making: perspectives from the International Maker Education Network

Fostering learning through making: perspectives from the International Maker Education Network

How are we preparing teachers to design and foster learning through making where disciplinary knowledge and skills are applied and developed? One approach that addresses this question can be found from the International Maker Educational Network (IMEN); an online professional learning community built upon shared interests in educational making. Members meet regularly to share their maker context and experiences and what can be gleaned to help support developing capacity to design and facilitate learning through making. In further studying their professional practice using a self-study methodology, four IMEN members shared their respective maker contexts, illustrating examples of making in formal and informal learning environments and what is being learned from their experiences. These cases provide examples of strategies and approaches that are being used to support learning through making and provide insight into developing and utilizing knowledge and skills in fostering learning through making in P-16 educational contexts. The article concludes with three recommendations for practice to support educators and teacher educators in fostering learning through making.