EAGER:MAKER: University of Hawaii MakerSTEM

University Of Hawaii, Honolulu

Investigators

Abstract

Leveraging knowledge about how "Making" actively engages participants in authentic science and engineering practices, the University of Hawaii MakerSTEM project explores a new model for teacher preparation in secondary science education. Pre-service teachers will design and iterate their own science investigations and classroom instructional materials in a makerspace lab studio at the Hawaii Institute for Marine Biology. While much emphasis has been placed on providing maker opportunities for students, teachers also need these experiences to become qualified mentors and proficient facilitators of modern STEM learning. MakerSTEM will help pre-service teachers in Hawaii to develop proficiency in scientific investigation and design practices, and to become innovators of student-driven active learning. The cumulative impact over the course of a single teacher's career could reach 4,500 students. If successful, this maker-based approach can be transferred to other teacher training programs, potentially transforming K-12 science education by empowering teachers with deep pedagogical content knowledge and skills that align with 21st Century STEM careers. The intellectual merit of this project includes investigation of 1) the efficacy of applying makerspace design principles to a science teacher credential program and 2) the impact of MakerSTEM lab environment on pre-service teacher STEM learning and practice through a longitudinal case-study approach. Knowledge gained from this research will result in a new heuristic model for how making can be effectively incorporated into STEM teacher education. This line of investigation will begin to further inform evidence-based teaching practices to improve learning outcomes and contribute to a generalized grounded theory of STEM learning in college maker labs. These insights may catalyze novel possibilities for the way science and science education is offered on college campuses. The potential for communities of learners to emerge within university maker labs may remodel the overall STEM college learning experience, enabling students to address student-defined problems and build collaborative partnerships in a way that parallels professional practices.