Slide deck of recommendations and findings from our "Making Culture" report

1. 1
2Recruit Inclusively
Avoid exclusionary language
and imagery in recruiting
instructors and students.
Beware implicit biases (gender and
others) in language and instruction.
Make intentional program choices
for different outcomes
There is not just one kind of
makerspace.
Target projects that improve
your organization.
Many makerspaces also find
opportunities to engage with the
local community.
Maximize open hours for your makerspace
Open hours play a positive role in giving
students agency and presenting a more
inclusive and welcoming environment.
Foster sharing of knowledge with a broader
community
A culture of sharing can lead to new learning
opportunities and external, real world projects.
Start with Culture
Focus first on the culture of your
space, which is the foundation
for sustained student learning.
3
4
5
6
7
Recommendations from
MAKINGCULTURE

2. Start with Culture
Focus first on the culture
of your space, which is the
foundation for sustained
student learning.
1

3. Recruit Inclusively
Avoid exclusionary language and
imagery in recruiting instructors
and students.
2

4. Beware implicit biases
(gender and others) in
language and instruction.
3

5. Make intentional program choices
for different outcomes
There is not just one kind of
makerspace.
4

6. Target projects that improve
your organization.
Many makerspaces also find
opportunities to engage with
the local community.
5

7. Maximize open hours for your
makerspace
Open hours play a positive role in
giving students agency and
presenting a more inclusive and
welcoming environment.
6

8. Foster sharing of knowledge
with a broader community
A culture of sharing can lead to
new learning opportunities and
external, real world projects.
7

9. MAKING CULTURE
Research Findings

10. Ethnography of Making
Our research investigated the cultures of teaching and learning
practices facilitated through makerspaces.
Our goal was to develop a more comprehensive understanding
of maker culture as a potential driver for education innovation.
30 site visits to makerspaces across the U.S.

11. Research Methods
Linguistic coding shaped our analysis and evaluation
• 80 interviews based on 20 loosely-structured
questions
• 4,600 coded instances
• 60 distinct codes (3 coding levels)

12. Finding 1:
Equity & Inclusion

13. Recruitment Flyers
Most frequent imagery used
For Instructors For Students
Male “Engineer” (11) Hammer (15)
Dynamite (8) Rocket Ship (11)
Power Tools (6) Saw (7)

14. (2)
(2)
(1)
(4)
(1)

15. Impact on Participation
Adult Leadership Across Makerspaces
Total Leadership
Formal
Informal
0 10 20 30 40
Male
Female

16. Student Participation in Makerspaces
K-8th Gr.
9th-12th Gr.
0 20 40 60 80
Male
Female
Impact on Participation

17. Referring to
male students
Referring to
female students
Geeks (20) “Girls” (92)
Builders (18) Helpers (11)
Designers (15)
Engineers (13)
“Boys” (0)
Implicit Bias

18. Finding 2:
Makerspace Culture &
the “Maker Mindset”

19. Indicators of a Shift in Mindset
Students’ most frequent terms in referencing school
Prior to Maker Enrollment After Maker Enrollment
“Don’t Care” Focus
Distracted Fun
Boring “Figured it Out”
Useless Sharing
Hard Problem Solving

20. Overcoming Classroom Barriers
Student Reflections on Developing a Maker Mindset
Time Practice Iteration
Grades Peer Evaluation Accomplishment
Testing Prototyping Production
Barrier Maker Culture Mindset

21. Showcase vs. Competitions
In reference to showcase
(e.g., Maker Faires)
In reference to
competitions
Learning Opportunity
Growth Drive
Sharing School Pride
Relaxed Winning
Sharing Preparation
Open Leadership
Teachers
Students

22. Unstructured Open Hours
and the “Maker Mindset”
Teacher referenced… Student referenced…
Inquiry Exploration
Note Taking Risk
Technical Reading Peer Sharing
More students introduced to the makerspace

23. Finding 3:
The community of makers
and Making in Community

24. Peer Sharing Outside Makerspace
References to Applying
Maker Knowledge
References to Applying
Other Class Knowledge
Student Government (20) Math (3)
Other Classes (13) History (3)
School Improvement (11) Science (2)

25. Sharing with Different Communities
Institutional Regional
Distance/
Global
Fabrics 9 3 2
Artisinal Fine Arts 5 9 10
Agriculture 11 10 7
Robotics 3 0 20
Technological Game Design 2 0 25
Lego Mindstorms 0 0 16