As I learn more about Makers and how to promote Maker culture in my classroom, I keep finding parallels between #MakerEd and the emerging proficiency-based practices in world language education. Both cultures promote collaboration, innovation, authenticity and real-world application. Learning about each of these in parallel has helped me to develop a vision for what my Spanish classroom could be like as my school transitions from a textbook, grammar-translation method to something more useful and real.
To summarize some of my ideas, I used PiktoChart to create an infographic that shows how #MakerEd and proficiency-based world language practices complement and build upon one another.
In the article “Learning in the making: A comparative case-study of three maker spaces,” the writer states that,
“Makerspaces seem to break down disciplinary boundaries in ways that facilitate process- and product-oriented practices, leading to innovative work with a range of tools, materials and processes.” (Sheridan, Halverson, Litts, Brahms, Jacobs-Priebe & Owens., 2014, p. 527)
I find it inspiring that a classroom Maker culture promotes the recombination of disciplines that are traditionally kept separate, and in doing so generates innovation and application. I find it even cooler that as I engage as an educator with technology and Maker culture, I can remix it with the best practices of world language education and develop a vision for a world language classroom that is innovative and authentic in ways even beyond the scope of either practice alone.
Aski, Janice (2009). “The Impact of Second Language Acquisition Research on Language Practice Activities”. Italica 86.1, 37–58.
Halverson, E.R. & Sheridan, K. (2014). “The maker movement in education.” Harvard Educational Review, 84(4), 495-465.
O’Donnell, A. (2012). “Constructivism.” In APA Educational Psychology Handbook: Vol. 1. Theories, Constructs, and Critical Issues. K. R. Harris, S. Graham, and T. Urdan (Editors-in-Chief). Washgington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Sheridan, K. Halverson, E.R., Litts, B.K., Brahms, L, Jacobs-Priebe, L., & Owens, T. (2014) Learning in the making: A comparative case-study of three maker spaces. Harvard Educational Review, 84(4), 505-565.