Equity In Making

 

Making serves an avenue for those who wish to express themselves using crafts, technology, and other tools. However, when I first began my journey as a Maker, I did not see myself as someone who could be creative in STEM. Rather, I found myself gravitating toward activities that did not challenge my creative spirit. I occupied my time with work and school, things that had set rules and standards everyone had to follow to be successful. The thought of making something from scratch using my own autonomy was intimidating. As an African American woman who had never even heard of a Maker movement, I was not sure if Making was for me.

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I realized that this was a common sentiment amongst others as well. Many people feel as though they are incapable of Making, so they shy away from the idea altogether. Others also believe their lived experiences do not overlap with Making in an educational setting, hence them feeling a disconnect between themselves and the greater Maker Movement (Blikstein, 2013). These feelings are often due to a lack of representation of specific groups in Maker communities and the dominance of engineering-related Maker spaces in a society where physics and engineering are primarily composed of high-income, white male faces. According to Barton and Tan, the median salary of those involved in the Maker movement is $103,000, while 97% of those who attend Maker Faires have college degrees, and 70% have graduate degrees (2018). However, the 2018 Poverty Report provided by the US Census indicates that the Black household income in that year was $41,361, and the Hispanic household income was $51, 450. When we compare those to the median Asian household income of $87,194 and the White household income of $70, 642, it is obvious that there is a financial disparity that is also correlated with race and access to Maker spaces.

 

It is important that we open these spaces to those in low-income and minority communities because those voices need to be heard. Children in those communities have their own unique experiences that they can utilize to give back to their communities. In a study that focused on equity-oriented Making in STEM, the development of 41 youth Maker projects was documented over the course of four years. This study included students from low-income households in predominantly African American communities. This study revealed how culture and community greatly influence Making. For instance, a group of students created a bus heater because a student's parent was a bus driver, and the student had experienced being cold on the bus while traveling long distances (Barton & Tan, 2018). Someone who never used public transportation may not have thought to create such a product. This is why we can benefit from having people from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds included in the Maker movement. 

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What Making Means to Me

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I have realized that Making is about creating something that is important to you regardless of your appearance or income. While the final product is a large part of Making, Making is also about the process that went into the product. I take Making as an opportunity for growth as an educator and a person; it is an opportunity to learn new skills to express myself and also help my community. I also use Making as a way to collaborate with others and exchange ideas. UTeach Maker has empowered me to exercise my creativity and share Making with others.

 

I never knew about a Maker movement until attending college, so my goal is to expose our youth to this movement in the classroom. When students Make, they "make strong connections . . . that affirm school-based approaches to teaching and learning" (Halverson & Sheridan, 2014). This means that Making in the classroom allows students to demonstrate mastery of core competencies, while also engaging students in experiences that are important to them. Maker classrooms cultivate students so that they "start to believe they can solve any problem" (Martinez & Stager, 2014). Therefore, it is even more crucial to ensure all students have access to Making. Students who always saw themselves as Makers when young then grow into innovative adults. There are so many problems that need to be solved in our society, especially in impoverished communities, so educators need to mold the children from these communities into future innovators as well. 

 

Making is our present and future. We need to ensure that our children see a place for themselves in that future. I have learned that I am a Maker and I will teach my students that they are also.  

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References

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Barton, A. C. & Tan, E. (2018). A Longitudinal Study of Equity-Oriented STEM-Rich Making Among Youth From Historically Marginalized Communities. American Educational Research Journal. pp 1-40.

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Blikstein, P. (2013). Digital Fabrication and 'Making' in Education: The Democratization of Invention. FabLabs: Of Machines, Makers and Inventors, pp 1-21.

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Halverson, E. R. & Sheridan, K. (2014). "The maker movement in education." Harvard Educational Review, 84(4), pp. 495-504.

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Martinez, S. & Stager, G. (2014). The maker movement: A learning revolution. Arlington, VA: International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

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Semega, J., Kollar, M., Creamer, J., & Mohanty, A. (2018). Income and Poverty in the United States: 2018. 

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