Learning to teach 3D printing in schools: how do teachers in Korea prepare to integrate 3D printing technology into classrooms?

ABSTRACT

3D printing implementation in educational contexts has gained considerable attention in recent years. However, research shows that both in-service and pre-service teachers lack digital literacy and the confidence required to teach this emerging technology. This study reports the current challenges and opportunities in 3D printing education in Korea and identifies the range of knowledge required for teachers to integrate 3D printing technology into classrooms in meaningful ways. The technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) framework was used to analyze the certificate program for 3D printing educators and in-service teachers’ practices. The findings from interviews with 10 in-service teachers and participant observation in the 3D printing training workshop for pre-service teachers revealed that technological knowledge is overly emphasized in the 3D printing teacher training curriculum. Thus, many in-service teachers develop their content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge by exchanging ideas with other teachers online and running project-based courses with flipped classroom approaches. Two potential paths were discovered for developing curricula that cross over the domains of the TPACK framework to successfully integrate the technology into classrooms: collaboration between teachers in different subject areas and industry experts to develop technical knowledge and curriculum, and contextualizing 3D printing technology in relation to open-source digital culture.

KEYWORDS:

• Teacher education
• 3DP education
• 3DP curriculum
• TPACK
• educational technology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.