ANYONE CAN MAKE.
MY MAKER PHILOSOPHY
Anyone can make! I believe this because I have seen myself and my fellow UTeach Makers learn to make in our community, in the classroom, and independently - and it looks different for all of us.
"Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good."
It is fundamental to me to make mistakes in the classroom! Productive failure is a pillar of how people learn and this should parallel into making. As a maker, I have had countless projects that don’t end up the way I envisioned. There is something amazing about this process though - the ambiguity of making with your students is a learning experience for all. A collaborative learning setting for you and your students. Sometimes it is good for us to try new things and dive really deep into a zone we know nothing about. Other times, it is good to stick to something we are familiar with. However, my philosophy that anyone can make is vital to making in a classroom so that we can provide students with opportunities to try things they never have before. This will hopefully propel them to replicate this practice outside of the classroom. The only way we learn is by doing and if we are never doing anything new, we will only know what we already know - and that can make for a pretty boring life.
There is something eerily motivating for jumping into the deep end with your students! I encourage anyone to try making because whatever you do will be unique to you and that's what making is all about.