ERIC Number: ED597460
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Apr-28
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-
EISSN: N/A
Increasing Diversity in Makerspaces by Building for Connectedness
Holbert, Nathan
AERA Online Paper Repository, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (San Antonio, TX, Apr 27-May 1, 2017)
Drawing on the construct of "ways of knowing" from the feminist tradition the Bots for Tots project explores the affordances of activity framings and structures that tap into alternate mental dispositions to broaden participation and interest in maker activities. In this paper I present data from a workshop with 9-10 year olds explicitly framed to be about making toys for children in their community. I show that when making is framed as being a set of practices, skills, and technologies to give back to and support members of one's community, young girls were highly motivated to engage in the maker activity, persisted through construction challenges, and showed interest in further exploring making and technology to help others.
Descriptors: Toys, Females, Helping Relationship, Disproportionate Representation, Sense of Community, Preschool Children, Design, Learner Engagement, Motivation, Elementary School Students, Grade 4, Public Schools, Urban Schools, Childrens Attitudes, Technology, Creative Activities
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Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 4; Intermediate Grades
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A