In this featured article of Spokes/ Ecsite, a series educators and practitioners are interviewed on the potential of Tinkering for creating more equitable STEM learning environments for diverse learners and learners facing social, educational and economic disadvantage.
Through paired interviews they address Tinkering from a range of perspectives: they share their own experience as learners with/in Tinkering as well as the strength of learning through the process of design when creating Tinkering activities for different audiences; they spotlight the potential benefits of Tinkering for engaging diverse groups of disadvantaged young people as well as the impact that formal observation of Tinkering by teachers can have on wider teaching practice; they highlight the way that Tinkering can level the playing field for learners who may not be confident with formal STEM learning, including non-native speakers, learners with special educational needs and learners with low science-capital. In connection to the latter, a final more focused interview with TRACES unravels their work with a prison service in Paris, a strong and significant experience for both educators and learners.
Credits: Spokes / Ecsite.eu