Becoming a Maker Pedagogue: Exploring Practices of Making and Developing a Maker Mindset for Preschools

Abstract

Making has with its mindset and hands-on agenda found ways into all levels of education. From primary school to higher education, in after-school curricula and public places of learning, making has made a considerable impact. In early childhood education, teachers and their professional development are however less in focus. We present a municipality-driven project of training nine preschool teachers with a maker mindset. Our data builds on teachers' experience and practice, shared in two workshops and 16 blog posts. The pedagogues' reflections of their own and learners' actions make way for how making' impacts them as educators. We use Resnick's four P's: Projects, Peers, Passion, Play and contribute Places and Presentation as additional elements of creative learning. We show that developing a maker mindset entails openness, curiosity, co-creation, responsiveness and the willingness to include technology and materials into professional practice, which is key towards becoming a maker pedagogue.