A Path for Success in Learning by Making: Follow, Tinker, Play, Share

Purpose & objective

The goal of this session is to help teachers leverage the 3 dimensions of learning (content/community/context),a model which I presented at ISTE 2018 and ISTE 2016 and which I've been developing for about a decade (https://unfoldlearning.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/dimensions-of-cubic-learning1.pdf).

This will be augmented with a new structural model: follow/tinker/play/share that leverages a progressive strategy for implementing constructionist and maker learning and gives teachers a productive strategy for incorporating project-based and maker learning in their classes — even if they or their students don't know quite how to get started.

Attendees will work through an initial design scenario and will then modify it to fit their local purposes in the tinker and play phases, and they'll leave both with something they can deploy in their schools and with the experience of having used this model.

Learners will also be familiar with the terms and concepts of communities of practice, constructionism, and project-based learning.

Outline

Improvisation activities: attendee participation (8 minutes)
Communities of practice & cubic learning: lecture (12 minutes)
Learning activity 'bake off': follow: attendee participation (10 minutes)
Learning activity 'bake off': tinker: attendee participation (10 minutes)
Learning activity 'bake off': play: attendee participation (20 minutes)
Learning activity 'bake off': share: attendee participation (10 minutes)
Concluding thoughts: lecture (10 minutes)
Q&A: attendee participation (10 minutes)

Supporting research

Charles, Rankin, Speight (2019). Education, Knowledge, and Learning: an overview of research and theory about constructionism and making. London: Pi-top publishing. 2nd ed.

Rankin, Leiderman (2018). A Learning Journey: exploring new paths in teaching and learning. London: The Educational Collaborative for International Schools.

Mehta, Fine (2019). In Search of Deeper Learning: the quest to remake the American high school. Cambridge MA: Harvard UP.

Papert (1980). Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. New York: Basic Books.

Vygotsky (1966). “Play and its role in the mental development of the child.” Voprosy Psikhologii 6.

Kolb (1984). “The process of
experiential learning” In
Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, nJ: Prentice-Hall. www. learningfromexperience.com/images/uploads/process-of- experiential-learning.pdf

Wenger-Trayner (2006). “Communities of practice: A brief introduction.” www.linqed.net/ media/15868/COPCommunities_of_ practiceDefinedEWenger.pdf

Wenger-Trayner (2004). “Learning for a small planet: A research agenda.” www.learning histories.net/documents/learning %20for%20a%20small%20planet.pdf

Doolittle (1997). “Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development as a theoretical foundation for cooperative learning.” Journal on Excellence in College Teaching 8(1): 83–103. www.proactiveteaching. org/pdfs/91.pdf

Weimer (2013). “A summary: Learner-centered teaching: Five key changes to practice.” www.cte.tamu.edu/getattachment /Faculty-Teaching-Resource/Program-ReDesign/ Orientation-and-Team-Formation/Book-Summary-Learner-Centered-Teaching-by-Maryellen-Weimer.pdf.aspx