There has been a great deal of buzz lately about “making” and production-centered learning. As a professor of literature and writing, I have been enthusiastic about the role “making” might play in the classroom. (Even those classrooms or courses that don’t inherently seem to lend themselves to making in the most obvious sense.) But the truth is, this new found enthusiasm is sometimes an uphill march. Should we relinquish our valuable classroom time to such endeavors that seem at best a crafty indulgence, or at worst, a waste of precious instructional time? This summer, I have continued to ruminate on these significant challenges, and certain moments have helped clarify my thoughts:
On July 9, the National Writing Project and the Educator Innovator network helped launch “Hack Your Notebook Day,” which featured a special writing-engineering-art “make” challenge. We were charged with lightening up our writing with copper wire, circuits, LEDs, and more. We had many resources to guide us in this unique endeavor. Through our Paper Circuitry workshops (in varying locations throughout the world), we lit up our collective inspiration and our voices, as we crafted through a hands-on STEAM learning lens.
Read Full Post Here: Paper Circuitry Illuminates ‘Writing as Making’