Methodology for educational making activities (VI)
Making activities things to take care
Budget and management
Normally in the maker field, there is a tendency to believe that the costs of digital technologies and recycled materials are relatively low. Although partly true, it is sometimes not the case. Whether it is an activity with either free or paid registrations there is a need to be cautious, clear and organised when making a budget and defining who is responsible for each section.
The management of the budget and activity will depend on its nature and organisation. Consideration should be made to who promotes it, the space which will be used and whether it is a one-time occurrence or a regularly scheduled activity.
In any case, the personnel, materials and transport of the activity will generally depend on the budget. It is always advisable to give an estimated margin on the production costs for any unforeseen event.
Prepare the space
Ideally, the space where your educational making activity will be, should be conducive to inspiration, collaboration, and conversation. Make sure the tools and materials you have on hand give your members the nudge to make projects in any or all of the content areas: arts, crafts, engineering, food, green design, music, science, technology. Also it may be necessary to section off different areas of the space for specific activities. Such as setting up a soldering station or sewing machine where it will not be affected by the sawdust from the wood working tools.
Make a wide variety of materials available, but also make sure that these are visible and easy-to-find. You might use clear or mesh containers that members can scan quickly to be able to visually see their contents when they’re looking for specific items or just letting their imagination wander.
Choose well-placed shelves and wall spaces for showcasing examples of past projects and current activities to seed ideas and inspiration.
- Prepare the distribution of tables or workspaces, depending on whether the group will work in pairs, groups or individually.
- Establish a site to carry out prototype tests.
- Find a safe space to use tools that require electricity or more care such as a welding gun.
- In the organisation of the space it is also important to consider that people using the makerspace will take photographs or videos. Therefore, we must bear in mind how the person, who makes an audiovisual record, can use the space to do their work successfully. But above all be aware of what things should not be included in these images or if a family member has denied the permission of images to be taken of an infant or adolescent.
- Monitor the temperature and ventilation of the place depending on the materials and tools to be used.
Order and cleaning of the space
It is important, from the beginning of the activity, that participants are involved in maintaining an ordered and clean space with organised tools and materials. Once the activity is over, it is important that the space is cleaned and re-organised by all of those who have used it. For example, ensuring that appropriate recycling bins are used and the space is left as it was found.
Participants
There will be many different types of participants. For example, those who may be highly motivated, others who simply follow instructions carefully yet rely on partners to do most tasks and others who need more individualised attention.
In the end, the important thing is to value each of the small achievements gained by each participant and to rely on them to set the pace of the workshop. If there are peaks and troughs of interest and progression, there will generally be more or less continuous attention from the participants.
Evaluation
Once the activity is over it is very useful to review the whole process, both production and communication as well as the techno-pedagogical development of the activity, in order to evaluate each step and improve on it for future activities.
Rethinking the production and communication process and identifying challenges that were met, can help to find actions which can help to develop and improve the activity. Some examples could be; if material from a particular brand did not work properly; if there was not sufficient room or light for the number of participants or if there was not enough information given about the activity which resulted in a lack of support from local partners.
Regarding the development of the activity itself, particularly if it will be completed more regularly, participants should provide insight and feedback. This could be achieved by anonymous surveys which ask about how participants found the process, the contents, the results and the overall experience.
The same technical file that guides us for the workshop is very useful when making evaluation notes for each section.
Below are some questions that could be asked during or after an activity, that would help to evaluate how participants felt a session went, and to help to understand what steps and processes they may have taken during the activity.
- What challenge are you working on?
- What ideas do you have to solve the challenge?
- Which ideas seem the best?
- How does the first prototype look? Do you think it will work? For testing, do you need more work? What have they learnt?
- What do you feel has impacted you the most?
- What has been the best part of the workshop?
- Have you learnt anything from other classmates?
- Important qualities that my invention must have to make it better.
- What did you find most difficult during the workshop?
- Do you want to improve something? Would you do something different next time?
- Description / drawing / photo / video
This methodological guide has been made by the consortium of the European Project, Makerspace for Inclusion Nº 2018-l-BE0S-KA205–002425, with the participation of the following associations:
Digijeunes (France), Timelab (Belgium), Horizonlab (Italy), Nod Makerspace (Romania), MakerConvent-Trànsit Projectes (Spain).
