Maker-Centered Learning: Empowering Young People to Shape Their Worlds

by Edward P. Clapp, Jessica Ross, Jennifer O. Ryan

The Agency by Design guide to implementing maker-centered teaching and learning Maker-Centered Learning provides both a theoretical framework and practical resources for the educators, curriculum developers, librarians, administrators, and parents navigating this burgeoning field. Written by the expert team from the Agency by Design initiative at Harvard's Project Zero, this book

Identifies a set of educational practices and ideas that define maker-centered learning, and introduces the focal concepts of maker empowerment and sensitivity to design. Shares cutting edge research that provides evidence of the benefits of maker-centered learning for students and education as a whole. Presents a clear Project Zero-based framework for maker-centered teaching and learning Includes valuable educator resources that can be applied in a variety of design and maker-centered learning environments Describes unique thinking routines that foster the primary maker capacities of looking closely, exploring complexity, and finding opportunity. A surge of voices from government, industry, and education have argued that, in order to equip the next generation for life and work in the decades ahead, it is vital to support maker-centered learning in various educational environments. Maker-Centered Learning provides insight into what that means, and offers tools and knowledge that can be applied anywhere that learning takes place.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Teaching

231 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2016

Reviews

[Ekollon]

So, was reading it for a class, the class finished, I read as much of it as I was required to read for class (which wasn't all of it) and was hoping that I would be inspired to read all of it, but...

Nope. I'm never going to read more. It wasn't terrible, but I'm not going to read more. It wasn't good enough. Eep.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it reads like a textbook, it's packed full of great information. I have over 5 pages of notes that I wanted to remember, and I hope to put those perspectives into practice at my library's makerspace.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent introduction and overview to a topic that should - and hopefully is starting to? - revolutionize education. As someone who works with library makerspaces, this really opened my eyes to what we should be focusing on in our spaces and programming in order to encourage the sense of curiosity that many of us have lost as adults. This book was inspiring and had me exclaiming "YES!" to an empty room; filling up pages with notes to discuss with colleagues. Also really awesome that Agency by Design has made so many helpful tools and lessons available for free on their website. I wholly recommend this to anyone interested in making, creativity, and/or education. My only regret is that many of these notions didn't exist when I was a kid in school. Go forth and inspire agency!

[Cary Stough · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the best book on the subject and, to my mind, the only book that does maker-centered learning any justice because it doesn't melt everything down into one prescriptive category (such as the mantra "maker-centered learning encourages INNOVATION" ... whatever that means).

The dryness of its reporting keeps it away from most kinds of romanticizing.

[Betty · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very disappointing read. There are some interesting educational ideas at the base of the text; however, there is a lot of repetition and the examples described in the book were rather low level and not described in any great detail.

[Allie Genia · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. This book was a game-changer! I'd highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about maker education and how to use the research done by Agency by Design to improve their programming.