Contribution of Maker Education to Teaching and Society: Report of Two Experiments

Abstract

The maker movement, which is based on experimentation, can be used as a teaching approach in universities and in society. This work presents the results of teaching-learning experiments of robotics projects using maker education approach in learning by doing and project-based learning methods. The research had two moments, in the first, two short-term workshops were held using prototyped cardboard parts and discarded electronic components. In the second moment, a long-term workshop was held with robotic kits. The data gathered through unsystematic observations was analyzed in order to understand the benefits of introducing maker education in different contexts and to present the limitations of each group. The experiments provided a collaborative experience, encouraging the development of initiative, autonomy, and critical and investigative sense of students in relation to the proposed problem.