"Making" a Difference

Learning doesn't just happen in the classroom. It happens everywhere that youth go and work and play, and "making" is an important part of how young people learn and grow. In their Making A Difference Educator Guide, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and Assemble use making to educate and support youth in becoming change-makers in their community.  While "educator" is in the name, this term is used loosely and applies to anyone working with young people and who is invested in their growth and well-being. 

Check out this essential guide for resources and recommendations on topics like: 

• Building Brave Spaces
• Letting Youth Lead
• Showing Youth They Matter
• Questioning the System

What's making? It's actually more of an approach rather than just about "making stuff!" The approach of using making in education and learning spaces centers students and their interests, and it focuses on youth - and educators - as people. It recognizes that learning is contextual and social, and it encourages students to notice things about their world and community and the ways that they're able to change and influence it!

For more about The Making Spaces Program in Pittsburgh, PA, check out the Children's Museum website. To learn more about Maker Education in general, take a look at this information from The Maker Education Initiative.