Giving Compass
  • Sign In
  • About Us
    About Giving Compass How We Choose Content and Organizations Annual Reflections Our Newsletter
  • Getting Started
  • Learn About Issues
    Topic Guides
    Animal Welfare COVID-19 Criminal Justice Democracy Disaster Relief Education Environment Health Homelessness Immigrants and Refugees Racial Equity Women and Girls
    Curated Articles
    Partner Collections Giving Compass Selections See All Articles
  • Give to Causes
    Issue Funds & Intermediaries Projects Nonprofits
  • Get Involved
    Philanthropy Resource Directory Events Volunteer Opportunities
  • Partner With Us
    Nonprofits Authors Use Our Content Services Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Sign Up
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Sign In

5 Tips for Building a Maker Culture of Equity and Inclusion

Getting Smart Apr 1, 2018
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
Click here for more.
5 Tips for Building a Maker Culture of Equity and Inclusion-giving compass
  •  Share
  •  Save
Share

Giving Compass’ Take:

• Promoting a ‘maker education’ means encouraging students to make, build and create in order to enhance opportunities and strengthen creativity. Below are five suggestions for how to cultivate an inclusive ‘maker education.’

• How can philanthropy help this movement? Do you believe that receiving a ‘maker education’ will influence children’s’ interest in STEM?

• Read about a school in Napa that encompasses inclusion and creativity through project-based learning. 


3-D printers, CNC routers, and expensive tools are common when people refer to a makerspace. Making is not only limited to a makerspace, but is boundless and impartial to the imagination of all learners. According to The Maker Education Initiative, a nonprofit launched in 2012, maker education is a way to create more opportunities for young people to make, and by making, build confidence, foster creativity, and spark interest in science, technology, engineering, math, and the arts.

When students have an environment that is inclusive, they are more confident and creative – they create a love of learning and unexpected ideas happen – and we need new ideas.But, to unlock every student’s potential, every student must have access to high-quality science, technology, engineering, math, and art initiatives. Rather than giving in to the temptation to focus on buying one 3-D printer for a makerspace, though, I’d suggest thinking through how these 5 Tips for Building a Maker Culture of Equity and Inclusion might work in your environment.

  • Involve All Stakeholders. Making is intergenerational. It has been around forever and everyone is a maker, so why not tap into all stakeholders in the community.
  • Choose Tools Based on Pedagogical Goals.  Let students lead the process of learning through curiosity and discovery.
  • Make Learning Culturally and Age Relevant. As educators, we often complicate things by thinking about what children want instead of asking them and listening.
  • Empower All Learners–Including Adults. Learning is most meaningful when people are active participants in the learning process; however, learning cannot be forced upon someone.
  • Not Evaluate, Appreciate. When implementing a maker culture, remember, questions are more powerful than the answers.

Read the full article about maker culture by Justin Aglio at Getting Smart. 

  •  Share
  •  Save
Share

If you are looking for more articles and resources for Youth Development, take a look at these Giving Compass selections related to impact giving and Youth Development.

  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    Congress Makes Important Changes for Opportunity Youth

    The current public workforce system has left out some of our country’s most vulnerable opportunity youth. With federal funding spread across 11 agencies and 47 programs, much of the system relies on cost-reimbursement contracts that stifle innovation by 1) prescribing services that prohibit providers from adapting programs to needs and 2) not rewarding providers for improving outcomes. Providers are often paid regardless of results, yielding little incentive to use evidence-based interventions or deploy new technologies. While some programs use something called “performance-based contracting,” much of the time, payments are linked to activities and outputs, like enrollment instead of long-term outcomes like wage growth.


Looking for a way to get involved?

Education is a fascinating topic, and others found these events, galas, conferences and volunteering opportunities aggregated by Giving Compass to be relevant for individuals with a passion for Education.

Loading...
Learn More

Are you ready to give?

If you are ready to take action and invest in causes for Education, check out these Giving Funds, Charitable Organizations and Projects related to Education.

Loading...
Learn More
Connect

Loading...

Loading...

Learn More
Take Action

Loading...

Loading...

Loading...

Learn More
More from
Giving Compass
  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    Real-World Issues That Can Allow Students to Tackle Big Challenges
  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    Preparing Educators for the Future of Work
  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    Inspiring Our Youth With the Maker Movement
Follow Us
Newsletter

Become a newsletter subscriber to stay up-to-date on the latest Giving Compass news.

About Us
  • About Giving Compass
  • In The News
  • Contact Us
  • Content at Giving Compass
  • Partner With Us
Trending Issues
  • Environment
  • Homelessness
  • STEM Education
  • Equal Pay Act
  • Gender Equality

Copyright © 2021, Giving Compass, LLC

•
  • Privacy Policy
  • User Agreement

Sign in

Your personal information is confidential at Giving Compass. For more information, please visit our privacy policy. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use.