Random Acts of Making: Discovering Tools, Methods & Mindsets for Making in the Classroom (Grades 4-6)

This thesis investigates how design activities taken on by makers and designers can illuminate real-world, contemporary issues relevant to the new BC Curriculum. The recent redesign of British Columbia’s K-12 Applied Design Skills and Technologies (ADST) curriculum aims to support the development of active citizens in a way that is in touch with today’s rapid pace of technology development and information exchange (Ministry of Education, 2015). As a designer and maker, who is also informed by observations and work with Vancouver’s maker community, Emily Smith has explored possible directions and philosophies for developing a maker education-pedagogy, informed by the maker movement, her own practices, and the Emily Carr students and faculty. This work is an exploration of TOOLS: Including drop spindles, knitting needles, and backstrap looms; METHODS: Including her own artistic textile and music-making practice and primary persona known as a “One-Woman Band”. This persona is an application of clowning practices, as taught by David Macmurray Smith. Methods borrowed from the maker community include designed materials and facilitation in the form of “Lightning Talks”, and “Zine-Making” (Appendix C&D). Finally, this thesis explores MINDSETS: which includes constructivism and constructionism, Design-Make-Play, Head, Heart and Hand, the Maker Mindset, the work of Maryann and Gregory Bateson and cybernetics. Guided by exploration of tools, methods and mindsets, Smith conducts a series of co-creation sessions and interviews with 15 participants (see Appendix A & B), which include Emily Carr students, local makers, faculty and educators in Vancouver. Findings provide a series of case studies which reveal that social making activities engage learners in a multiplicity of subjects, and can meaningfully address ADST’s Core Competencies through making, and discussion led by a facilitator. Other insights include possibilities to inspire students through the use of “memes”, through public forums, programs, and published materials. Designed materials constitute prototypes and proof of concepts for possible extensions and modules to further extend and develop the Maker Club format.