Fabrication as an Educational Medium

Discussion

Hod Lipson & Melba Kurman:

"Personal fabrication technologies provide a powerful educational tool that puts students into the driver’s seat in the design and engineering process, a “soup to nuts” learning experience that reinforces a number of the abstract concepts students learn in STEM classrooms. Computer design software, combined with low-cost, small scale manufacturing technologies, when integrated into science and technology classes, help educators craft physical models that help demonstrate abstract educational concepts. By removing the barriers of specialized resources and skill that currently prevent many ideas from being realized, personal fabrication technologies will excite and empower a new generation of inventors." (http://web.mae.cornell.edu/lipson/FactoryAtHome.pdf)

PERSONAL FABRICATION AS A CONSTRUCTIONIST FOUNDATION

Hod Lipson & Melba Kurman:

"Personal fabrication technologies provide a constructionist foundation to STEM education by providing a medium in which abstract problems are translated into the tangible world in a classroom setting. Constructionist learning is based on the idea that learning is an active process that works best when students are exposed to experiences, hands on projects and even failure so they can discover, first hand, underlying principles, concepts and facts. Based on the work of Jean Piaget, constructionist learning theory views the teacher as an essential facilitator and guide for their student’s voyage of discovery.

Mainstream acceptance of constructionist learning theory was accelerated by Seymour Papert, a visionary MIT professor of math, computer science and education.

Papert was an early proponent of the value of computers and multimedia as educational tools. Personal-scale manufacturing and software design tools did not exist while Papert was formulating his theories, yet he would likely embrace them as a valuable pedagogical tool. Students given access to design and fabrication tools are transformed from passive consumers of knowledge to active problem solvers, designers and producers. The gratification of designing and making a real physical object that solves a problem, or is a work of art, makes it possible for a student to own and experience the entire design cycle from conceptualization to physical realization. Finally, like computers and multimedia tools, personal fabrication technologies can be adapted to a broad range of learning styles and types of projects. For visually impaired and learning impaired students, physical models alleviate learning disparities associated with educational tools that rely on visual information or spatial reasoning.

Traditional STEM education has focused on teaching abstract concepts first, then later continuing to practical application and testing of the concept, an approach that introduces hands on learning dead last in the process. While a theory-first approach works well for many students, it’s not productive for students who prefer to learn using a trial and error approach, or who learn applications first and then work backwards, later, to the underlying theory. STEM educators recognize this challenge and initiatives such as NSF’s Discovery Research K-12 Program have made significant progress in creating instructional material that includes elements of active problem solving in the learning process. Often, however, even active problem solving exercises must be solved in the abstract, meaning the testing, fixing and validation process remains untested and intangible. In addition, the design challenge is often removed from daily life of the child. For example, while valuable, a science and engineering problem-solving exercise that assigns students to devise a device to prevent the next Gulf Oil spill may not appeal to otherwise gifted students. Some may not be able to drawn to solving a problem whose urgency is so distant to their daily lives. Others may feel the lesson is irrelevant since student solutions will never be tested or put to use. Traditional conceptual learning, even creative problem solving, may inadvertently act as a barrier to gifted students who would otherwise be attracted to the rich intellectual world of science and engineering. STEM education as it stands today, may put non-traditional learners at risk of turning away from further STEM education and potential career opportunities." (http://web.mae.cornell.edu/lipson/FactoryAtHome.pdf)

More Information

• extensive treatment in Factory@Home, pp. 63+