Exploring Ambiguity Tolerance during the Adoption of Maker-Centered Learning Tools and Strategies

Maker-centered learning is a creative hands-on educational strategy that uses a variety of tools and materials to support the iterative design of physical or digital artifacts. It involves the “messy” process of trial and error; therefore, authentic integration of maker-centered learning requires te...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:TechTrends 2021-07, Vol.65 (4), p.653-667
Main Authors: Smith, Shaunna, Rodriguez, Shelly
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ambiguity
Ambiguity (Context)
Case Studies
Difficulty Level
Education
Educational Technology
Experiential Learning
Faculty Development
Instructional Design
Learning
Learning and Instruction
Learning Strategies
Original Paper
Personality
Problem Solving
Professional development
Shared Resources and Services
Student Centered Learning
Students
Teacher Attitudes
Teacher Educators
Teachers
Teaching
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Summary:Maker-centered learning is a creative hands-on educational strategy that uses a variety of tools and materials to support the iterative design of physical or digital artifacts. It involves the “messy” process of trial and error; therefore, authentic integration of maker-centered learning requires teachers to embrace ambiguity. This descriptive case study explores how two in-service teacher participants tolerate ambiguity through unpacking the ways that they process, interpret, and react to ambiguous stimuli. The study uses participants’ weekly reflections during a 15-week course focused on tools and strategies to support maker-centered learning. Findings highlight examples of how participants’ experiences connect to the four ambiguity constructs (i.e., complexity, insolubility, uncertainty, unfamiliarity) and the dual roles of ambiguity as a learner and ambiguity as a teacher. Implications for teacher educators who design maker-centered learning professional development experiences are also discussed.
ISSN:8756-3894
1559-7075
DOI:10.1007/s11528-021-00600-0