Teaching and Learning in Multilingual Maker Spaces: A Qualitative Exploration
Nicole Zeidan, Fordham University (United States)
Aída Nevárez-La Torre Nevárez-La Torre, Fordham University Graduate School of Education (United States)
Abstract
During the last two decades, an increasing interest has emerged worldwide in schools’ “maker-culture”, which facilitates the use of technologies in creative ways by learners across grade levels (Walan & Gericke, 2023). The researchers will discuss the journey of six doctoral students who explored how the maker space learning approach can be applied to multilingual classrooms with learners and educators involved in active participation and knowledge sharing through open exploration and creative use of technology grounded in the learning theory of constructivism (Bada, 2015). Their understanding of this learning approach was negotiated by creating learning tools in multilingual maker spaces to facilitate language and content knowledge. The learning process of the doctoral candidates was documented using qualitative data collection methods (Miles et al., 2019), including discourse analysis (Gee, 2014) of written assignments and interviews. Data analysis was done from the “ground up,” examining in detail the raw data points, allowing for the emergence of coherent patterns, meaningful insights, and fundamental concepts (Yin, 2018). The discussion will highlight the tensions that emerged during the doctoral-level course from challenging traditional teaching methods of language and content with innovative approaches to learning that integrate active interaction and participation, as well as library research and field explorations. Using a maker space within a learning commons allowed for a shift in the conceptualization of multilingual classrooms to promote creative and innovative learning, thinking, and collaboration among participants.
Keywords: Digital Teaching & Learning,; Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion; Educational Innovation; Emerging Technology; Multilingualism; Transliteracy
REFERENCES
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