Transforming Integrative Makerspace Education for STEM Pre-service Teachers

This project aims to serve the national interest of improving the quality and effectiveness of STEM education for pre-service teachers (education college majors) through a focus on integration of makerspace pedagogy. Makerspace education involves students working with their hands collaboratively to make, learn, explore, and share to advance their learning and success in STEM areas.

Education and STEM faculty will collaborate to integrate makerspace pedagogy into 10 interdisciplinary education core and methods courses to emphasize STEM experiential learning. While this project primarily focuses on undergraduate students majoring in elementary education, undergraduate pre-service teachers preparing for teacher certification in grades 4-8 or 7-12 may also benefit from curricular improvements in these required courses.

The project intends to build knowledge about teaching and learning by developing, implementing, and assessing faculty development, interactive instruction, and STEM lesson plan development. This project offers a valuable opportunity to improve STEM thinking skills by formally integrating STEM concepts throughout the pre-service teacher curriculum using an interdisciplinary approach.

The project utilizes a makerspace laboratory at Point Park University (PPR). However, the project design is such that other institutions of higher education should be able to replicate the program with or without a physical makerspace lab as the project’s findings and “maker mindset” are employed.

Community partners, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, the Matt’s Makerspace Organization, and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, will provide maker pedagogy professional development to PPR faculty in the School of Education and the Department of Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology. These faculty members will attend 10-15 professional development sessions in STEM learning in makerspaces, and then revise the course content of 10 courses, as well as develop lessons and assessments for the assignments.

Utilizing qualitative research methodology, the project intends to investigate the following research question: What do pre-service teachers and faculty members identify as areas of pedagogical growth in STEM learning and teaching in a makerspace environment? This research aims to highlight the impact of makerspace pedagogy on improving STEM education learning outcomes through an interdisciplinary constructivist approach.

The project is expected to have a multiplier effect as it impacts STEM disciplinary and education faculty at PPU, pre-service teachers, and teacher preparation programs at other universities that benefit from what is learned at PPU. Ultimately, the future students of the well-prepared pre-service teachers steeped in maker pedagogy and STEM content will have the potential to develop higher level thinking skills and improve their mathematics and scientific achievement, which are essential for the 21st century STEM workforce.

The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship (Noyce) Program is providing co-funding for this IUSE: EHR project to support the project's preservice teacher preparation goals, which are well-aligned with Noyce Program goals.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.