{"id":52,"date":"2015-06-06T16:20:33","date_gmt":"2015-06-06T15:20:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/makerpedagogy.org\/en\/?p=52"},"modified":"2020-02-25T14:29:36","modified_gmt":"2020-02-25T14:29:36","slug":"how-is-the-maker-ethos-relevant-to-pedagogy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/makerpedagogy.org\/en\/en\/how-is-the-maker-ethos-relevant-to-pedagogy\/","title":{"rendered":"How is the Maker Ethos relevant to pedagogy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Populations, communities, and practices typically share an \u201cethos\u201d which characterizes their guiding beliefs around activities of interest. In Maker communities the ethos is grounded in attitudes, skills, knowledge, commitment, and competencies that allow people with similar interests to \u201chack<\/em>,\u00a0adapt<\/em>,\u00a0design, [and] create<\/em>\u201d (Bullock, 2014) artifacts (stay tuned to read more about\u00a0\u201cWhat we mean by artifacts\u201d). \u00a0Maker communities involve collaboration amongst members within the do-it-yourself culture and are driven by affinity-to and curiosity-towards the activity at hand.\u00a0 The spaces that Makers create are often micro-communities with self-guiding standards, such as being creative, \u00a0sharing knowledge and skills, problem-solving, togetherness, mentoring others, and making excellent mistakes while feeling safe to do so. These Maker Spaces can been seen in coordinated ventures such as Tech Shops, in labs, or can pop-up in someone\u2019s garage. Making can happen anywhere, but the really interesting part is watching it\u00a0unfold.\u00a0What can we learn from the Maker Ethos that might be relevant to pedagogy?<\/p>\n

Having the privilege of witnessing Maker Spaces, a couple of guiding beliefs appear to be at the core of the Maker Ethos. These drivers seem to be sharing, learning, exchanging, and gusto! Maker community interactions are a powerful thing and what\u2019s evident in this ethos which I feel makes it distinct from, for example a collaborative group or team, is the inherent tendency to focus on the process of Making. This focal point of process in my opinion circumvents the innate drive towards a focus solely on finished projects and outcomes, which often seem to drive most team-based work. In Maker Spaces, competition appears to be deflected and the Maker Ethos shines through. \u00a0Then the innovation\u00a0can happen.<\/p>\n

The Maker Ethos opens some new doors for pedagogy. The guiding beliefs can play out in profound way such as:<\/p>\n