UTeach Maker: A Micro-Credentialing Program for Preservice Teachers

Abstract

“Making” has been used to describe an internally motivated iterative design process that embodies notions of playful building and tinkering. Recently, interest in applying making to PK–12 education has increased. As schools add facilities dedicated to making, there is a need to support teachers in effectively utilizing these makerspaces. UTeach Maker is a microcredentialing program that supports preservice teachers interested in bringing making into STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) classrooms and PK–12 makerspace environments. This article describes UTeach Maker and articulates success factors. These factors include a Maker Showcase framework, community support, and the public review and presentation of work in both digital and face-to-face formats. Challenges encountered in the program's first year and future steps are also discussed. (Keywords: community, making, makerspace, preservice, teacher preparation)

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shelly R. Rodriguez

Shelly Rodriguez is a clinical associate professor at The University of Texas, Austin. She is an instructor for the UTeach- Natural Sciences program and has 12 years of high school teaching experience. She is the director of UTeach Maker and currently teaches courses that support preservice teachers as they qualify to teach secondary STEM courses. She was awarded the 2012 Outstanding Paper Award from the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) for the paper titled “Enhancing Teacher Knowledge and Pedagogical Reasoning: A case study of cooperating science teachers that mentor preservice teachers.” Her research interests include maker education, mentoring, and teacher professional development. Please address correspondence regarding this article to Shelly R. Rodriguez, UTeach—College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas, Austin, 120 Inner Campus Dr., Stop G2550, Austin, TX 78712, USA. E-mail: [email protected]

Jason R. Harron

Jason Harron is a doctoral student studying learning technologies at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the graduate research assistant for UTeach Maker and also serves as a Maker Mentor. His research interests include emerging technologies, digital fabrication, leadership in school change, makerspaces, participatory simulations, and using student mobile devices for immersive VR learning. E-mail: [email protected]

Michael W. DeGraff

Michael DeGraff is a teacher support specialist with the UTeach Computer Science initiative. He supports teachers as they implement the UTeach Computer Science Principles curriculum, aligned with the Computer Science Principles framework. He has 5 years of experience teaching high school math and 6 years of experience related to replicating UTeach, a university-based STEM teacher preparation program. He serves as a member of the Maker Education Initiative Educator Advisory Committee. E-mail: [email protected]