The impulse to create is one of the most basic human drives. Throughout history, as humans we have figured out how to use materials in our environment to create tools for solving the problems we encounter. In fact, the way our society functions today is a product of the progress of technology of one kind or another. By providing the tools, equipment and guidance necessary, children of all ages can move from passive receivers of knowledge to real-world makers. And we believe that this has the potential to completely revolutionize education as we know it. 

The Maker Movement

Making overlaps with the natural inclination of children to learn by doing. The maker movement values human passion, capability and the ability to make things happen and solve problems anywhere, anytime.

Classrooms that celebrate the process of design and making, which includes overcoming challenges, produce students who start to believe they can solve any problem. Students learn to trust themselves as competent problem solvers who don’t need to be told what to do next. This stance can be a crucial change for children who are used to getting explicit directions every minute of every day. It can also illuminate for teachers how authentic assessment can really work in the classroom.

The learning-by-doing approach also has precedents in education: project-based learning, Jean Piaget’s constructivism and Seymour Papert’s constructionism. These theories explain the remarkable accomplishments of young makers and remind educators that every classroom needs to be a place where, as Piaget taught, “knowledge is a consequence of experience.”

“There are essential elements of educating young people to become innovators: the value of hands-on projects where students have to solve a real world problem and demonstrate mastery; the importance of learning to draw on academic content from multiple disciplines to solve a problem; learning to work in teams” 

What is a “Makerspace”?

Think about it like DIY meets education. A “makerspace” is a physical space/environment that provides readily-available materials, technologies and tools that are designed to spark curiosity and encourage creativity. In these spaces, kids use real world things — anything from a cardboard box to a piece of technology — to design solutions to real world problems. Makerspaces are focused on educating young people to become innovators by considering the following:

• The value of hands-on projects where students have to solve a real world problem and demonstrate mastery

• The importance of learning to draw on academic content from multiple disciplines to solve a problem

• The importance of learning to work in teams

STE(A)M Truck provides a mobile makerspace where kids have the opportunity to make and create – a place where some tools, materials, and enough expertise and guidance can get them started. The STE(A)M Truck makerspace combines aspects of the shop class, home economics class, the art studio and science labs. In effect, a makerspace is a physical mash-up of different places that allows makers and projects to integrate these different kinds of skills.

What is “Maker” Education?

Maker Education brings the Maker movement into the school setting to provide students with hands-on learning that promotes creativity, thoughtfulness, a community of learning and sharing ideas, as well as, the idea that each person can create what they want to see or use to solve a problem or need. Making combines new technologies with old-school arts and crafts and vocational education — in a new, innovative setting.

Maker education offers a transformational approach to teaching and learning that is built around the real and relevant needs of learners and humans in general. It is an approach that positions student interest at the center, asking students to become more aware of the design of the world around them, and begin to see themselves as creators who can tinker, hack and solve real-world problems. Maker-centered learning develops that awareness through interactive, open-ended, student-driven, multi-disciplinary experiences that allow for the time and space needed to develop diverse skills, knowledge, and ways of thinking. In maker-centered learning environments, students imagine, design, and create projects that align the content of learning with hands-on application. Maker education can surface the deep knowledge and resilience in both students and communities — creating more space for different ways of knowing and sharing knowledge.  

How is It Applied?

Maker education can happen with cardboard and duct tape; a loom and wool; your uncle’s old car; robots and LEDs; butter and sugar and flour and heat. It can easily incorporate or embody project-based learning, community learning, environmental learning, invention education, deeper learning and other approaches to transforming the traditional educational landscape.

Project-Based Learning (PBL)

Project-Based Learning (PBL) is an approach to learning that makes the experience more engaging for both students and teachers. When participating in our projects, students learn to construct their own answers and innovative solutions to challenging, authentic, driving questions that meet real world needs in our communities. This approach is designed to give students more opportunities to have increased voice and choice in how they learn while gaining a deeper understanding of what they are learning and how to apply it in the real world. When participating in STE(A)M Truck programs, students have the opportunity to collaborate with community partners and our in-field experts to learn new skills, receive feedback, and create solutions as they engage in various projects. Project-Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge.

The implementation of Project-Based Learning is guided by the following: 

• Focus on Significant Content/Curriculum

• Development of 21st Century Competencies 

• Curiosity 

• Authenticity 

• Voice & Choice 

• Revision & Reflection

• Collaboration

Maker Movement vs. Project-Based Learning

The Maker approach and PBL both focus on the creation of projects, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, creativity and have the potential to foster empathy in students. The main difference is that Maker Education has a big emphasis on “hacking” or “tinkering” where you take something that already exists and make it better or you make something entirely new for the fun of creating it. Maker Education can also have a strong tech bent with the inclusion of coding, computer science and engineering, while Project-Based Learning can encompass any and all subject areas.

The STE(A)M Truck Approach

At STE(A)M Truck, we promote the maker education philosophy by utilizing project-based learning as a primary instructional methodology. Our focus is hands-on, project-based learning where students create a product that they showcase at the end of the experience. The Maker Project-Based Learning units can focus on any subject area and may integrate a low or high tech component into the end product.

Our integration of STEAM in a PBL environment provides students with the knowledge, skills, expertise and passion to create positive change in their own communities and the world around them. Our programming is designed to help students of all ages develop skills such as critical thinking,  collaboration/teamwork, communication and creativity — the exact capabilities needed for success in the 21st century.

Using STEAM education results in students who take thoughtful risks, engage in experiential learning, persist in problem-solving, embrace collaboration, and work through the creative process.

Integrating concepts, topics, standards and assessments is a powerful way to disrupt the typical course of events for our students and to help change the merry-go-round of “school.”