Come to the MakersLearnersTeachers Speaker Series and learn from prominent education scholars about the intersections between making, learning, and teaching!

February 20: Making Publics: Mobilizing Audiences in High School Makerspaces

T. Philip Nichols

Abstract: While "making" has enjoyed increased attention from education researchers, policymakers, and practitioners, much of its uptake has been in informal, out-of-school learning environments. What happens when these practices make their way into more formal schooling contexts? This presentation examines the possibilities and challenges that surfaced as a new urban public high school tried to bring "the maker ethos" into the center of its teaching and learning. It highlights the role that audience played in motivating students’ design work – and considers how iterative approaches to “making” can, at times, sit in uneasy alignment with the demands and structures of school.

Bio: T. Philip Nichols is a PhD candidate in Literacy, Culture, and International Education at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also earned an MA in History and Sociology of Science. His research brings these fields into conversation, examining how the ways we learn, teach, and talk about literacy are entwined with histories of technology. He is currently completing his dissertation, Making Innovation: Literacy and Technoscience in Urban Public School Reform, with support of a National Academy of Education / Spencer Dissertation Fellowship.

Directions:

The Solomon Labs building is located at 3720 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. It is not visible from the street but located behind 3700 Walnut Street. The room B35 is located on the ground level in the middle of the building.