El proceso de Resiliencia comunitaria y su impacto en la Reconstrucción del

Making in education can take place in a wide variety of learning environments, formal and informal. Therefore, makerspaces can take shape in a variety of ways, from maker carts that are wheeled into a classroom to a separate, dedicated space for making. The design of the environment proposed for making can impact the making that takes place within the space. Makerspace facilitators and designers need to consider several criteria that can influence the makerspace, including the physical space it occupies, the different needs for and among children, and what values they wish to impart through the space.

As a learning environment, makerspaces occupy a physical space, whether that is a dedicated space or a transformative space, and this occupation influences outcomes for makers within the space. As implied by the name, makerspaces “foreground the notion of space” (Sweeny, 2017, p. 355). Establishing a physical space is vital to creative educational practices, “as learning often takes physical form,” especially in art education and making in education (Sweeny, 2017, p. 355). The physical environment of the makerspace has to take into account practical designs relating to layout, storage, and safety, as well as “conceptual

ideas regarding space and representation” (Sweeny, 2017, p. 355). These designs may take

place within schools, but “makerspaces can operate in any number of sites, including, but not limited to, public libraries, natural history museums, and science centers” and also community- based, stand-alone settings (Sweeny, 2017, p. 355). Within schools, makerspace facilitators and designers must consider the role of the makerspace when planning for its inclusion into the curriculum and into the physical space, making the design of environment a critical component of research surrounding makerspaces. My recommendations for practice include design recommendations in chapter 5.

2.6.2 Makerspace Environment and Design Philosophies

The development of the makerspace environment depends on the philosophy of the

designer, incorporating design factors that influence making within the space. The choices made by the facilitators range from “1) individualization vs. standardization in learning

environments; 2) formal vs. informal education divide; and 3) technology vs. hands-on making in learning environments” (Peppler, Halverson & Kafai, 2016, p. 6). Whether introducing maker projects within a classroom, a maker cart that can be used in any classroom, or a dedicated makerspace, facilitators and designers must make decisions regarding the visibility of the space and the projects taking place within the space. Featuring visible access to tools, materials, examples, and resources, makerspaces can promote accessibility through visibility, “coupled with high-quality learning outcomes” (Peppler, Halverson & Kafai, 2016, p. 5). This visibility promotes learning by encouraging makers to “ask questions, to take things apart and

put them back together again, to try out new solutions, and to think in a concerted way about the intentions of the designer as well as the makers’ ability to hack new solutions” (Peppler, Halverson & Kafai, 2016, p. 5). In some cases, the construction of the makerspace is a chance for makers to hack new solutions, as they even participate in the building of the space

(Sheridan & Konopasky, 2016, p. 36-37).

A makerspace facilitator who intends to promote resourcefulness can organize tools

and materials openly, allowing anyone in the space to identify what they need, “with boxes of supplies and tools that are organized, visible, and clearly labeled” (Sheridan & Konopasky, 2016, p. 37). Organizing the tools and materials visibly allows makers to readily find what they need, and identify what projects they can complete depending upon what materials are available to them. Even if they don’t know about all the available tools and materials, learning that they exist affords them the ability “to perceive the possibilities in the space” (Sheridan & Konopasky, 2016, p. 37). The organization of the tools is an important choice for the facilitator and designer to consider in a makerspace, but the tools themselves need consideration as well. The amount, quality, and technological level of the tools should be a important choice for the facilitators’ philosophy and pedagogy. The implementation of 3D printers or the

encouragement to use hand tools can be decided upon through the design of the makerspace environment. Expensive technology is not “a prerequisite for innovative and useful making,” but can serve as a tool for learning valuable skills (Sheridan & Konopasky, 2016, p. 38). The

makerspace facilitator at Mount Elliot community makerspace describes his choices as having “designed the space with just enough constraints so that participants must draw on their own and their community’s resources” (Sheridan & Konopasky, 2016, p. 38). The values imparted by the design of the makerspace environment should align to the philosophy and pedagogy of the makerspace facilitators, who design the physical space according to the needs of the makers, and I consider this in my analysis of observations in chapter 4.

2.6.3 Dedicated Space or Mobile Resources

While a dedicated makerspace isn’t necessary for a school to build in order to support

a maker program, a makerspace can positively influence the implementation of the maker program. Serving as a central meeting point, a makerspace can provide a space dedicated to participation in making. A dedicated makerspace can provide a visible promotion of making “as a learning innovation through classroom-based and personally motivated

projects” (Wardrip & Brahms, 2016, p. 104). By not confining making to individual classrooms, a dedicated makerspace allows for “the collective sharing of resources such as materials, tools, ideas, and staff for making” as a “shared endeavor of the school community” (Wardrip & Brahms, 2016, p. 104). Integrating making within a school community can have diverse

approaches, however, including forming a dedicated makerspace or hosting classroom-based making experiences. Making can take place in elective classes, after school programs, or as a component of traditional curriculum. Making can be introduced by a variety of facilitators as well, such as a dedicated facilitator, teachers, teaching artists, instructional coaches, or other students. Making can be introduced and implemented as professional development or initiated by the teachers in their classrooms and then expanded into a makerspace. (Wardrip & Brahms, 2016, p. 104). While a physical environment is often a core part of the Maker Movement, the physical space is not “fully constitutive of the practice of and participation in making,”

overlooking the Internet’s role in support of making (Litts, Halverson, & Bakker, 2016, p. 190). Online communities can support making within physical makerspaces by providing an open place for engaging, sharing, and discussing making. I analyze instances of designing a makerspace that fits within its necessary context in chapter 4.