Exploring design discourses and liminality as features of professional learning in an elementary makerspace

Becker, Sandra; Jacobsen, Michele

Exploring design discourses and liminality as features of professional learning in an elementary makerspace

dc.contributor.author	Becker, Sandra
dc.contributor.author	Jacobsen, Michele
dc.date.accessioned	2023-03-22T23:17:41Z
dc.date.available	2023-03-22T23:17:41Z
dc.date.issued	2022-03-03
dc.description.abstract	Purpose – Using Johansson-Sköldberg et al.’s (2013) descriptions of design discourses, this study aims to analyze teacher interviews, research notes and teacher and student artifacts to determine if engagement in design practices led to changes in the teacher’s thinking. Design/methodology/approach – This article presents results from a year-long study that explored how a teacher enacted design discourses to engage in curriculum learning within an elementary school makerspace. The design-based study involved a collaborative partnership where a teacher and researcher co-designed, co-enacted and co-reflected on three cycles of making featuring curriculum studies in science, mathematics and social studies. Findings – The authors determined that engagement in all four design discourses led to transformative changes in the teacher’s thinking about herself as a teacher and her students as learners. The evidence suggests the school makerspace can serve as a liminal design space for professional learning, given that implicit in the makerspace is the embodiment of design practices such as problem finding, iteration and reflection. Research limitations/implications – Engaging in design discourses in the makerspace can lead teachers to question the frames they hold about teaching and learning. However, teachers need ongoing support in developing discipline knowledge and prioritizing the time required for designing, iterating and reflecting on learning in the makerspace. Practical implications – The makerspace provides a liminal space for teachers’ professional learning in that implicit in the makerspace is the embodiment of design practices such as problem finding, iteration and reflection. Originality/value – This study is unique, in that it places the importance of teacher learning in the elementary school makerspace on equal footing with student learning, thereby creating a culture of inquiry for all.	en_US
dc.description.grantingagency	Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Becker, S. & Jacobsen, M. (2022). Exploring design discourses and liminality as features of professional learning in an elementary makerspace. Information and Learning Sciences, 123(5/6), 233-251. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-08-2020-0192	en_US
dc.identifier.doi	10.1108/ILS-08-2020-0192	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	2398-5348
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/1880/115956
dc.identifier.uri	https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/40805
dc.language.iso	eng	en_US
dc.publisher	Emerald Publishing Limited	en_US
dc.publisher.faculty	Werklund School of Education	en_US
dc.publisher.hasversion	acceptedVersion	en_US
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary	en_US
dc.publisher.policy	https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/publish-with-us/author-policies/author-rights	en_US
dc.rights	Unless otherwise indicated, this material is protected by copyright and has been made available with authorization from the copyright owner. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.	en_US
dc.subject	Makerspaces	en_US
dc.subject	Design	en_US
dc.subject	Liminal Spaces	en_US
dc.subject	Teacher as designer	en_US
dc.subject	Design-based research	en_US
dc.subject	Curriculum	en_US
dc.title	Exploring design discourses and liminality as features of professional learning in an elementary makerspace	en_US
dc.type	journal article	en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopy	true	en_US
ucalgary.scholar.level	Faculty	en_US