In this study, the authors researched, designed, and implemented maker education opportunities into teacher candidate training, specifically in elementary mathematics and science methods courses. To investigate the impacts of active learning and maker education models in the teacher education program, the researchers observed, interacted with, and asked teacher candidates (1) which instructional design practices were helpful, (2) what they learned (i.e., knowledge gained, effective pedagogies, and teaching methods) and (3) what were the impacts of these learning opportunities in the context of learning to teach mathematics and other STEM subjects? The Maker Ed workshops involved creating opportunities for teacher candidates to gain experience of how to make, exploring ways to incorporate making in a variety of contexts and then extending this learning to their own pedagogy. To better prepare students for the workforce and everyday living, life skills, transferable skills, and workforce competencies need to be taught through student-centered and activating instructional practices.
Despite the positive impact of maker education on student learning, challenges towards its implementation in formal school settings still exist. There is limited research on maker education in teacher education programs and a lack of knowledge on how to integrate it into the mathematics classroom. To address these issues, the following research questions were examined: What is the nature of the productive design features of maker education for teacher candidates? What are the benefits and challenges of these opportunities for teacher candidates learning to teach mathematics? The methods used were a case study interlinked with design-based research. A total of 114 teacher candidates participated in the study. The research findings have implications for educators who design/implement maker education curricula into STEM courses. For educators and researchers, the maker education opportunities from this study contribute to further re-imagining learning competencies, pedagogy, and resources in teaching mathematics and other STEM disciplines.
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