University’s Teaching Systems Lab is teaming up with MakerEd and two schools to try to quantify what students learn and, in the process, change the mind-set of educators and parents.
The problem with makerspaces in school, and maker-centered education in general, is that they don’t fit into the traditional educational structure. Multiple skills are developed at the same time. Success can be personal growth. There is no one right answer to a problem. There is no test to show what a student has learned. In short, their value can’t be quantified.
Traditionally, administrators and boards of education that control budgets don’t like that. They want to measure learning. Where are the standardized tests that score perseverance, creative problem solving, tinkering, critical thinking, and collaborative skills? How do you assess a makerspace as an…
