Maker Lab 3: School lab

STEAM Teaching & Learning ESM 503, Spring 2024

Key words: STEAM, Maker Lab, Constructionism, 3D printing, laser cutting, LEGO robotics, microbit, arduino

Description

In the “school lab” students are challenged to conceive of and design their own STEAM workshop, which they co-teach for the public as a workshop at the MIXI lab during our Spring STEAM mini conference. To create their workshop, they will practice backwards design to develop and execute an effective lesson, including assessments of learning. Developing a specialized workshop allows students to solidify expert-level mastery of specific aspects of the maker lab; teaching these skills to an authentic audience helps them reflect on the knowledge they’ve acquired in the previous labs while practicing the lab-based pedagogical techniques which they’ve previously experienced as students.

Course Goals

The student will be able to:

• Define and identify characteristics of equitable classrooms where all learners have access to ensuring academic achievement.
• Analyze multiple frameworks used to support the development, implementation, and assessment of effective STEAM curricula.
• Identify and practice different models of co-teaching to support teaching and learning.
• Reflect and critique one own’s planning, instruction and assessment plans implemented for continual improvement to ensure an equitable and effective STEAM classroom.

Class Information

Instructor:

• Matthew X. Curinga, mcuringa@adelphi.edu
• Tracy Hogan, hogan@adelphi.edu

Class dates: Tuesday January 23 - Tuesday May 15

Office hours:

• Tuesday 3pm-5pm, Brooklyn Campus
• office hours by appointment

Class roster: google docs

Required Textbook

There is no required textbook for this course. Course readings will be made available through this course website.

Class Schedule

Module	Date	Topic	Section 1	Section 2
1	Jan 28	Robotics, Creativity, & Roots of Maker Education	Jan 28	Feb 4
2	Feb 11	Mushrooms and Deconstructing Instructional Frameworks	Feb 11	Feb 11
3	Feb 25	Workshop Brainstorming	Feb 25	Mar 4
4	Mar 11	Pitch	Mar 11	Mar 18
5	Mar 25	Workshop Critique	Mar 25	Apr 1
6	Apr 8	Studio Session	Apr 8	Apr 15
7	Apr 29	Workshop Rehearsal	Apr 29	May 6
8	May 13	Conference	May 13	May 13

This course is organized into 8 2-week modules. Each module consists of an in-person meeting in the Maker Lab and an online week. If you are in section 001 you will meet in person for the section 1 dates, above. Likewise for section 002.

Everyone will meet for a final public conference on May 13.

This is a hybrid course with some in-person meetings and some online meetings. Mostly, we will meet in-person every other week, but see the schedule above for details. Online weeks will be oriented around completing course readings and working independently or in teams on assignments. There will not be synchronous Zoom meetings for online weeks.

In-person classes will feature discussions of course readings, group working sessions, and maker lab activities. Towards the end of the term we will focus on developing your STEAM workshops.

You must complete the readings for the current module before your the in-person meeting for your section.

Class Meetings

Module 1: Roots & Robots (Jan 28 - Feb 4)

In our first 2 weeks we will read and talk about the roots of maker and STEAM education, and reflect on the goals of maker ed while advancing our own skills in with the tools of the maker lab using LEGO Robotics. Mindstorm robots are the direct descendent of Seymour Papert’s groundbreaking Constructionist research at MIT, beginning with the LOGO programming language and LOGO Turtle.

Seymour Papert presenting his LOGO Turtle robot via Wikimedia

Readings (before class)

• Papert, S. (1999, March 29). Child Psychologist Jean Piaget. Time.
• Valente, J. A., & Blikstein, P. (2019). Maker Education: Where Is the Knowledge Construction? Constructivist Foundations, 14(3), Article 3.
• (optional) Resnick, M., Ocko, S., & Papert, S. (1988). Lego, Logo, and Design. Children’s Environments Quarterly, 5(4), 14–18.
• FIRST LEGO League (Director). (2021, October 5). About FIRST LEGO League [Video recording] [03:45].
• Nickolaus Hines. (2022, October 10). 10 Brilliant Rube Goldberg Machine Examples. Cool Material. (check out some of the videos in preparation for our lab)

Agenda

1. Introductions
2. About the School Lab
3. Discuss Readings
4. Intro to LEGO robotics
5. Rube Goldberg LEGO Lab [details]
6. Lab Demo

Module 2: Mycelium and Deconstructing Instructional Frameworks (Feb 11 - Feb 11)

Note: both sections meet on Feb 11!

In this session we will discuss how to design lessons for professional development and how to become a leader in your school. We will complete a lab that explores biological rather than mechanical/digital making. Slide Deck

Mycelium Art from Musée Magazine

Readings due

• Martinez, S. L., & Stager, G. (2019). Teaching (Chapter 5) in Invent to learn: Making, tinkering, and engineering in the classroom. Constructing Modern Knowledge Press.
• Loeng, S. (2023). Pedagogy and andragogy in comparison – Conceptions and perspectives. Andragoška spoznanja/Studies in Adult Education and Learning, 1(1-14).
• Birman, B. F., Desimone, L., Porter, A. C., & Garet, M. S. (2000). Designing professional development that works. Educational Leadership, 57(8), 28-33

Resources

• Slide Deck

Agenda

1. Deconstructing a TedTalk: What Makes a TedTalk so Inviting?
2. Reading Discussion and synthesizing an instructional framework for adult learning
3. Sign up for article presentations [google docs]
4. Lab Demo: Grow Bio

Module 3: Play, Creativity, & Workshop Brainstorming (Feb 25 - March 4)

The success of this course depends on each class member developing new skills, and iterating many times over their workshop ideas until they are polished enough for a public demonstration. The readings for this session focus on creativity and play, and we will actively work on exercising our own creativity and work to design playful learning experiences. In this session we will think about the creative process, help set our own learning goals for the semester, and get ready to make a pitch for an extraordinary workshop.

Readings due

• Gallup. (2020). Creativity in learning: Understand the value of creativity in learning and how to enable it in the classroom by leveraging the full potential of technology. Gallup.
• Blikstein, P., & Worsley, M. (2016). Children are not hackers. In K. Peppler, E. Halverson, & Y. B. Kafai (Eds.), Makeology: Makerspaces as Learning Environments. Routledge.
• Wilson, H. E., Song, H., Johnson, J., Presley, L., & Olson, K. (2021). Effects of transdisciplinary STEAM lessons on student critical and creative thinking. [AU link] The Journal of Educational Research, 114(5), 445–457.

Module 4: STEAM & School Culture, Pitches (Feb 11 - Feb 24)

In this module we discuss how STEAM and Maker Education fits in with movements to change and advance school-based learning. In addition, we will hear formal pitches from everyone for their final workshop (see details below).

Readings due

• Papert, S. (1997). Why School Reform is Impossible. [AU link] The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 6(4), 417–427.
• Godhe, A.-L., Lilja, P., & Selwyn, N. (2019). Making sense of making: Critical issues in the integration of maker education into schools. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 28(3), 317–328.
• Bullock, E. (2017). Only STEM Can Save Us? Examining Race, Place, and STEM Education as Property. Educational Studies, 53(6), 628–641.

Agenda

• Reading Discussion
• Pitches

Module 5: Workshop Critique (March 25 - April 1)

In this session pairs will present their proposed workshop and run a demo of the core component(s). They will receive feedback from the class and instructors.

After considering this feedback, the final draft of their workshop as well as their material list and budget are due.

Readings due

• Student readings 1 (TBD)

Module 6: Workshop Studio (Mar 11 - Mar 18)

This will be a full lab, working session to prepare materials and methods for the full rehearsal and final show.

Readings due

• [student readings 2]

Agenda

1. Reading Discussion
2. Lab work on workshops

Module 7: Workshop Rehearsal (April 29 - May 6)

This is the final run through of the demo. Each team will run their workshop for a group of students and instructors. All materials must be 100% ready for this demo. Teams will have the opportunity to refine their workshop based on the experience.

Module 8: Mini-Conference May 13

The mini-conference will be held on the 7th floor of Adelphi-St. Francis, from 5pm-8pm. Students from both sections must attend on May 13. You should plan to be on campus by 4:30 on May 13 in order to prepare your materials.

• schedule (TBD)
• friends, family, and colleagues welcome (sign-up TBD)

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Grading & Assignments

Article Presentation

The first four modules have instructor assigned readings. The next 3 modules will have student assigned readings. Working with a partner, you will choose an academic article related to our course topics and assign it for reading. Your team will be responsible for leading a discussion on the article your assigned. You will be graded on a portfolio entry where you indicate the following:

• why you chose the article and its relevance
• a summary of the article and discussion of how it related to the course
• notes/questions for leading the discussion
• a reflection on the article and discussion to the class
• each team member will complete the portfolio portion independently

Workshop Pitch

Although this is a pair project, everyone will design their own workshop pitch. The pitch will be a 5 minute presentation where you share your idea for a great workshop. After hearing and discussing all of the pitches, we will form teams of 2.

For the pitch, focus on:

• why your idea is innovative and creative
• the hard problem it addresses in your field
• where this type of learning could take place in your curriculum (be specific)
• that it is feasible and good match for your skills, our facilities, and the time/budget restrictions

In your portfolio:

• write a brief (300 word) pitch for your workshop
• link or embed any presentations materials you created
• reflect on the pitch based on feedback from the class/instructors

Critique

For the critique, your team will present the first draft of your lesson. This will not be the full 45 minute session, but you will walk us through the key aspects of your workshop. For items that are not ready (because they need to be built or ordered), we can role play and use low fidelity prototypes.

In your portfolio: (after the critique)

• submit a revised plan for your workshop
• a complete list of materials
  • indicate what you will be using that is on-hand in the lab
  • a list of materials to order with the quantity, cost, and link to where to purchase
  • a total budget for materials

Demo

The demo is a rehearsal for your live presentation. You must have all materials prepared and ready. You will lead the demo the same as you will the live conference presentation.

In your portfolio: (after the demo)

• final lesson plan for the workshop
• final workshop title and abstract
• reflection on changes/refinements and outstanding items
• photos/videos/artifacts documenting your demo workshop

Workshop

You will present your workshop and be observed by course instructors and other Adelphi faculty, school partners, K12 students, Fordham doctoral students and other guests who attend. In addition to the quality of your lesson and the materials your produce, we are evaluating you on the effectiveness of your presentation and ability to perform as an instructional leader and coach.