Making teachers: Expanding physics teacher education

Grounded in constructionist learning theory, Maker education facilitates knowledge building through the construction of personally meaningful physical artifacts. Maker education has shown potential to promote learning, engagement, identity development, and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), with most evidence coming from informal and after-school spaces or elective classes. A review of research on Making in formal STEM education identified positive effects, most often in knowledge of electric circuits. Research on Maker teacher preparation, however, is limited. This 5-year study, situated in a university physics class for preservice and in-service STEM teachers and future teacher educators, explored the effects of adding a Maker component to the course. There was no statistically significant difference between the Maker and non-Maker groups on a common conceptual learning assessment. Qualitative analysis, however, provided evidence that the Maker project enabled activation of conceptual knowledge, enhanced student engagement, legitimated students’ funds of knowledge, and revealed affordances of Maker learning to future teachers.