By design: Professional learning ecologies to develop primary school teachers’ makerspaces pedagogical capabilities

Abstract

Michael Stevenson has been a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Educational Studies at Macquarie University. His research examines how professional learning can be best designed and implemented to optimise teacher capacity in the use of technology for learning and teaching. Matt Bower is an associate professor of learning technologies in the Department of Educational Studies at Macquarie University. His research focuses on how contemporary technologies such as augmented reality, virtual worlds and Web 2.0 tools can be most effectively used to support cognitive development and collaborative learning. Garry Falloon is presently professor of Digital Learning and associate dean-International in the Faculty of Human Sciences at Macquarie University. His research interests include STEM school leadership and curriculum and learning design, coding in early years education and mobile device use in primary schools. Anne Forbes is a senior lecturer in STEM Education (Primary and Early Years) in the Department of Educational Studies at Macquarie University. Her research primarily focuses on ways to improve the implementation of science education through participation in Communities of Science Practice. Maria Hatzigianni is a lecturer in Early Childhood Education at the University of Melbourne with a research focus on the use of digital technologies by young children and early childhood teachers. The author has a special interest in the associations of technology with children's socioemotional development, as well as parents' and teachers' beliefs around technology use by young children. AbstractMakerspaces embody a growing movement of educators promoting constructionist learning with physical materials and digital technologies such as 3D design and 3D printing. As it gains traction in K-12 settings, the maker movement represents an interesting context in which to explore how professional ecologies can equip teachers with the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to implement twenty-first century learning in their school context. This study investigated the roles of different participants from industry, school leadership and colleagues in influencing teachers' confidence, enthusiasm, capabilities and beliefs when teaching in makerspaces. Utilising triangulated observations of activities through online questionnaires at beginning, middle and end points, as well as postproject interviews, the study explored the participation of 27 primary school teachers in a blended professional learning programme, followed by classroom delivery of modules focusing on tablet-based 3D design applications and the use of newly instaled 3D printers. Reporting no prior knowledge or experience with makerspaces, quantitative analyses revealed significant increases in teachers' confidence and enthusiasm. Qualitative analyses of questionnaire and interview data underscored the influence of hands-on and theoretically grounded professional learning providing practical exposure to constructionist ideas, design thinking methodologies and...

Reasons associated with preservice teachers’ intention to use immersive virtual reality in education

“…As Ertmer et al (2012) point out, these internal barriers are potentially hard to change. However, extensive professional learning and working amongst a community of practice have been shown to significantly improve teacher confidence and enthusiasm with relation to classroom application of novel technologies (Stevenson, Bower, Falloon, Forbes, & Hatzigianni, 2019).…”

A tale of two subreddits: Change and continuity in teaching‐related online spaces

“…We used the learning ecologies and affinity spaces concepts jointly to frame our investigation of educators’ SDL on Reddit. Prior studies on educators’ voluntary use of social media have also used learning ecologies (Peters & Romero, 2019; Stevenson, Bower, Falloon, Forbes, & Hatzigianni, 2019; Veletsianos et al ., 2019) and affinity spaces framings (Bruguera et al ., 2019; Greenhalgh, Rosenberg, Staudt Willet, Koehler, & Akcaoglu, 2020; Staudt Willet & Carpenter, 2020), but this paper uniquely combines the two.…”

“…For instance, Stevenson et al . (2019) delineated how various elements of professional learning benefitted teachers in particular ways and Peters and Romero (2019) described how engagement patterns and learning strategies in informal contexts helped to support formal academic learning. Ecologies also undergo transitions ; that is, the systems sometimes change.…”

Digital Technologies in Education: Problems and Prospects for “Moscow Electronic School” Project Implementation

“…During the training, a significant increase in teachers' confidence and enthusiasm was recorded. The results show the importance of focused vocational training in combination with a collegially supported implementation phase, as well as the support from school leaders and industry partners to facilitate significant pedagogical changes in technology-mediated learning (Stevenson et al, 2019). Support from the leadership is of the greatest importance in the system of school teacher motivation.…”