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Review of MOOC: Tinkering Fundamentals: A Constructionist Approach to STEM Learning

Pieter van der Hijden msc

FABFUSE 3, Amersfoort, The Netherlands8-9-10 August 2014http://www.fabfuse.org

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Background

Pieter van der Hijden Sofos Consultancy (Amsterdam, The

Netherlands) – http://www.sofos.nl Consultant Fab Lab, Gaming/Simulation,

eLearning External consultant / member of the project

team of Fab Lab Paramaribo (Suriname) – http://fablab.vicepresident.gov.sr & https://www.facebook.com/FabLabParamaribo

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Agenda

• MOOC = Massive Open Online Course• STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics

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1. Introduction

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Fab Lab Great learning

potential Motivating Empowering Social knowledge

constructing How to make it

sustainable? How to work in

professional way?

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Knowledge pyramid

Source: Four-in-Balance Monitor, 2013

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2. Learning in Fab LabsFrame of reference

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FabEd = Fab Education

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Support organization for Fab Labs and education

Partners: FabFoundation TIES – Teaching Institute

for Excellence in STEM

Ambitions: Fab Lab Start-up Services

Fab Lab/STEM school Tours Planning and Design Services Fab Lab Installation Curriculum and Assessment

Adaptation and/or Development Professional Development for

Teachers Fab Lab Manager/Guru Training

Fab Lab Continuing Services Professional Development Fab Lab Scaling Services

Source: FabEd

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FabLab@School Research group with own

concept of Fab Labs at school

Digital fabrication and hands-on learning in education

Middle and high school students

Paulo Blikstein at Transformative Learning Technologies Lab; Graduate School of Education; Stanford University

It is NOT: Traditional school science

lab Robotics lab

Source: Website Fablab@school

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School fab labs Many Fab Labs

have been embedded into schools: Programmed lab

sessions Dedicated courses Project group

facilities

Source: Fab Lab, ROC, Bergen op Zoom, NL

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Other fab labs Fab Lab Paramaribo,

Suriname Informal events plus

begin of recurring group of children

Source: Fab Lab Paramaribo

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Other fab labs

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Ateneo Lab Corts Barcelona, Spain Parents develop

STEM projects

Source: Ateneo Lab Corts, Barcelona, Spain Source: Ateneo Lab Corts, Barcelona, Spain

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Other fab labs FabLabIL, Israel

Annual program for youth

Source: FabLabIL, Israel Source: FabLabIL, Israel

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MuseumsMuseo Metropolitano de Lima, Peru Various cultural

events and classes

Both pictures: source FabLabMET, Peru

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Museums

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Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, USA Short activities (8+ -

adults, 20-60‘) 3D printing, Laser

cutting, Vinyl cutting) Summer camp (10-17,

one week) Community programs

Science minors, Science achievers, Youth development program, Science minors clubs, Snoozeum 6-12, Science in the community

All pictures: source MSI, Chicago

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MuseumsExploratorium, San Francisco, USA For Educators

Professional Development Programs MOOC: Tinkering

Fundamentals: A Constructionist Approach to STEM Learning

MOOC: Re-Engineering Your Science Curriculum

Tools for Teaching For Learners

Community Programs Tools for Learning

For the Field Learning About Learning

Source: Exploratorium, San Francisco, USA

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3. Expectations of the MOOC= Massive Open Online Course

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Expectations of the MOOCPersonal expectations Improve developing

and facilitating tinkering workshops aiming at STEM* learning

Learning to train other facilitators

Being inspired by a lot of funny and nice ideas

Experiencing a Coursera MOOC

*STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics

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4. Course content

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Week 1 – Introduction to tinkering

Observations Comments

Video potpourri on tinkering activities at Exploratorium• Activity: one for all, not linear• Materials: cheap and casual• Environment: round table• Facilitator: sparking,

sustaining and deepening• Children: central and active

The children have a great time; is there a next step?• Why are we organizing these

workshops at all?• If it is for learning, what did

they really learn (and how do we know)?

• Is it for making STEM jobs more popular?

“(Electrical) circuits play a central role in our activities”

Interesting, but why?

Source: Exploratorium, San Francisco, USA

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Week 2 – Initial explorations with tinkering

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Observations

Comments

Various videos on making circuit board building blocks

• Very useful activity guide (8 pages)!

• Cheap materials are welcome, collect them

Source: Exploratorium, San Francisco, USA

Source: Exploratorium, San Francisco, USA

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Week 3 – Identifying learning indicators

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Observations CommentsVarious videos on scribbling machines & activity guide

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Pedagogical Perspective by Edith Kaufmann

Recommended reading / watching: E. Kaufmann

Learning dimensions framework:• Engagement• Initiative and Intentionality• Social Scaffolding• Development of Understanding

Interesting learning (observation) framework, but…• Only generic competencies• No direct link to STEM

curriculum

Source: Exploratorium, San Francisco, USA

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Week 4 – Personal expression through tinkering

Observations CommentsSewn circuits and paper circuits this week

Again with interesting activity guides (see references)

Poster on “Tinkering tenets” Two suggestions for extra tenets:• Choreography (scenario for

tinkering session with plenary, group and individual time slots)

• Take something home (and continue tinkering)

Both pictures: source: Exploratorium, San Francisco, USA

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Week 5 – Computation, Deconstruction, and Reconstruction

Observations Comments

Toy Take Apart activity Funny, e.g. Furby Autopsy

Makey Makey Nice, but always the same examples

Reflection on facilitating exercise

Good to reflect on facilitating an activity and to write it down

Source: Exploratorium, San Francisco, USA

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Week 6 – Putting it all togetherObservations

Comments

Some loose ends

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Wrap-up of the course

Final assignment plus peer review

Source: Exploratorium, San Francisco, USA

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5. Course format

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Week 1-6

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Watch Read Your turn

Weekly activity Reflection

question Other resources

Source: Shortened screenshot of Coursera course page

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Last weeksAssignment option 1 Assignment option 2

Tinkering design notebook: Tinkering action plan notebook:

• Initial goals and expectations

• Midpoint reflection• Final reflection

• Initial goals and expectations

• Your SOMEDAY action plan• Your MONDAY action plan

2 peer reviews 2 peer reviews

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6. Course technology

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Course technologyDescription Comments

Virtual learning environment (VLE)

OK

Every week• Welcome email• Course page• Your turn

• Home tinkering activity • Reflection activity

Home tinkering activities• Ordering materials was

expensive / clumsy

Other virtual environments used:• Weekly hangout (Google)• Social media wall (via Twitter

and Rebelmouse)

Weekly hangout• Life: inconvenient due to time

zones• Archive: boring

Social media wall• Clumsy and not protected

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7. Conclusion

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ConclusionPersonal expectations

Score Comments

Improve developing and facilitating tinkering workshops aiming at STEM learning

+ • The course itself was like a tinkering activity; good experience!

• Learning general competencies OK. However, the real link between tinkering and STEM curriculum is still a blank spot.

• The machine-focussed approach of Fab Labs turned out to be less important. The machines are great, but only when we need them. Facilitators do not have to master "all" tools, techniques and machines.

Learning to train other facilitators + • Great to see (videos of) colleagues at work.

• Maybe that is also the way to train volunteers / facilitators

• Library with 100 annotated video fragments of tinkering sessions (to be figured out)

• Great to see and feel the importance of regular reflection.

Being inspired by a lot of funny and nice ideas ++ • Accompanying book “The Art of Tinkering” is beautiful

• Excellent activity guides (see references)• Useful learning observation framework• Plenty reading materials

Experiencing a Coursera MOOC + • Content well structured• VLE easy to operate• Great to slow down video speed (.75); big time saver! • Linking to other sites clumsy (Google hangout &

Twitter/Rebelmouse)• Large group of participants, maybe better to work in

small online groups

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References

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References All pictures without source: Computerclub Wanica / informal Mini Fab Lab Wanica; Pieter van der Hijden; http://www.flickr.com Ateneu de Fabricació de Les Corts; Barcelona, Spain; http://bit.ly/ateneofabricación Coursera; http://www.coursera.org Exploratorium; http://www.exploratorium.edu/ Fab Lab Paramaribo, http://fablab.vicepresident.gov.sr,

https://www.facebook.com/FabLabParamaribo FabEd - Fab Education; Fab Foundation; http://www.fabfoundation.org/fab-education/ FabLabIL, Fab Lab Israel; Ohad Meyuhas; http://www.fablabil.org/ Fab Lab Museo Metropolitano de Lima; Victor Freundt; https://www.facebook.com/fablabmet FabLab@School; http://fablabatschool.org/ Four in balance monitor 2013; Kennisnet, The Netherlands, 2013; http://bit.ly/1lLN9hc Invent to learn; making, tinkering, and engineering in the classroom; Sylvia L. Martinez, Gary

Stager; Constructing Modern Knowledge Press; 2013; http://www.inventtolearn.com/ The art of tinkering; meet 150+ makers working at the intersection of art, science and

technology; Karen Wilkinson & Mike Petrich; Weldonowen, 2013; http://tinkering.exploratorium.edu/the-art-of-tinkering

TIES - Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM; http://www.tiesteach.org Tinkering Fundamentals: A Constructionist Approach to STEM Learning; Coursera; https://

www.coursera.org/course/tinkering Social media wall; https://www.rebelmouse.com/tinkeringstudio/Tinker-at-Home/ Activity guides for cardboard automata, circuit boards, light painting, paper circuits, sewn

circuits, toy take apart, wind tubes, marble machines*, scribbling machines* hyperlinks to activity guides (* also on http://www.instructables.com), see hyperlink at bottom of corresponding project pages on http://tinkering.exploratorium.edu/

Transformative Learning Technologies Lab; Stanford University; https://tltl.stanford.edu/ Wanger Family Fab Lab; Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, http

://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/fab-lab/ www.sofos.nl

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Thank you for your attention!

Pieter van der Hijden, Sofos Consultancy – 2014 – This work is licensed under a 

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Pieter van der Hijdenpvdh@sofos.nl