Resources
videosThe Maker Mind: Jen Ryan at TEDxDirigo
The Maker Mind: Jen Ryan at TEDxDirigo
Agency by Design researcher Jen Ryan explores some of the central ideas from the framework at TEDxDirigo Generate.
thinking routinesImagine if...
Imagine if...
This routine first encourages divergent thinking, as learners think of new possibilities for an object or system, and then encourages convergent thinking, as learners decide upon an effective approach to build, tinker, re/design, or hack an object or a system.
Field NoteMaker – Person, Identity, or Culture?
Maker – Person, Identity, or Culture?
Agency by Design project manager Jen Ryan examines the use of the word maker and offers an alternative reframing for an emerging field.
documentation and assessment toolsInquiry Cycle Tool
Inquiry Cycle Tool
The Inquiry Cycle is a tool to support teacher and student learning—and to make that learning visible—all the while exploring the capacities associated with the Agency by Design framework for maker-centered learning.
publicationsIdentifying What Matters
Identifying What Matters
In this essay, leaders of the Agency by Design Pittsburgh network Peter Wardrip, Jeffrey Evancho, and Annie McNamarra describe their process of pursuing documentation and assessment strategies for maker-centered learning that are based on the values educators bring to their work in schools and other settings. Using the metaphor of big rocks and little rocks as introduced by Steven Covey, the authors describe the process of identifying one’s values and documenting and assessing student learning from the perspective of one’s values. They then articulate the lessons they have learned and their suggestions for moving forward. The core findings that emerge from this work are: (a) identifying one’s values is challenging, (b) documentation requires practice, (c) one’s values are linked to one’s content, and (d) visibility supports measurement.
activities and practicesMaterials Exploration
Materials Exploration
This practice promotes noticing, play, and exploration. When learners have time to tinker with materials they can gain an understanding of the affordances, possibilities, and constraints inherent in a variety of making materials.
Field NoteMaker Empowerment: A Concept Under Construction
Maker Empowerment: A Concept Under Construction
Agency by Designer project Director Shari Tishman introduces the concept of “maker empowerment” as a potential outcome of maker learning experiences.
thinking routinesPartes, Personas, Interacciones
Partes, Personas, Interacciones
Esta rutina de pensamiento ayuda a los estudiantes a ir lentamente y observar de cerca un sistema.