L.A.
Makerspace
Maker Librarian
Training
2/17/2018

L.A. Makerspace is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded by Maker parents.

Making includes everything from coding to cooking!
It reminds us we can create, and not just consume.
Q: Who can call
themselves a Maker?
A: Everybody.

Modeling
Reflection
Trouble-shooting
Challenging received cultural beliefs
Fun!
About this
training
It utilizes a lot of the techniques we are teaching,
so keep your eyes peeled for:

What is Maker learning? and
why is it important?

Intrinsic
Motivation

Culture challenge!
Learning produces dopamine
(the reward chemical) because,
like eating and reproducing, it's
basic to human survival.
Yet it's not thought of as "fun,"
it's considered "work."

Culture Challenge!
In school, "copying" is discouraged. But if you're a working coder and you don't cut and
paste the best existing code wherever possible, you'll be in trouble.
Because "reinventing the wheel" wastes time you could have spent creating new things.
Note: we'll be using some examples
from computer science, but these are
true for all kinds of Making.

Culture Challenge!
Another surprise: In the real world coding is done as part of a team, or even together
on the same computer. Having more brains working on a problem is just better.

Computational
Thinking
"Computational Thinking" is a set of problem-solving skills derived from
computer science that can be applied to many different goals.

"Decomposition" (breaking things down into parts or steps)
and "Sequencing" (putting the parts in the right order to
achieve a goal) are the heart of problem-solving.
Sequencing
skills are even
basic to
language, as
this English
exercise for
kindergarteners
illustrates.

Will Smith Culture Challenge!

First, you "hang out" there, just
because your friends are there
or you have some other reason
to visit.
Then, you "mess around"
by trying something new,
with low stakes.
And if you discover you enjoy it --
then you "geek out" and teach
yourself everything you need to
know to get great at it!
How a Makerspace encourages learning new skills

We define a Makerspace as "anywhere
Makers gather to share tools and
information."
So, we designed our Maker workshops to
function as the "messing around" phase of
HOMAGO, and provide the participants with
the impetus to "geek out" using all the further
information available at the library.

Reflection
Intrinsic Motivation, Information Finding,
Computational Thinking, Failure, HOMAGO
Is there an instance in your own life
experience that sheds light on what we've
discussed?

Humans (and robots) learn best by imitation, or "modeling."
If a child is learning in a regular education structure, all
they can observe about how learning works is, "the student
knows nothing, and the teacher knows everything."
But, if there is an adult willing to say, "I don't know, but
these are the steps I take to find out," the child can imitate
that model the next time they want to learn something.
Modeling

Librarians are already
experts in the key
technique of
Maker learning!
Skills are just another type
of information.

Everyone knows their
librarian as someone
who's there to help, not
to grade or judge.

What do we want people to get out of
their Maker experiences?
Let's start by looking at our own intrinsic
motivations, and our desired outputs for this process
of "engineering" our Maker Librarian skillset.
Just like in the 5 steps of Maker learning we
talked about before.

Fixed Growth
"Abilities
are innate
and
determined
by talent"
"Abilities
develop
with work
and
practice"

Reflection
How's your maker mindset?
If you would like to grow some elements of your maker
mindset, how might you do that?
If you have experienced growth in some of these elements
in the past, what is the story of how you did it?

Maker
Facilitation
Tools
Beginning: Priming
Middle: The Troubleshooting Process
End: Reflection

Beginning:
Priming
i.e., how to set the stage for the experience so the
participants will get the most out of it

Identity is the shortcut to mindset.
When 4-year-olds pretended to be Batman,
they could work for a longer time.

The Imagination Exercise
1. Have the participants put their heads down on the desk. Tell them that
now they are [roboticists, coders, engineers, artists, etc*].
We suggest starting the workshop with a visualization that
uses an imaginary identity to engage intrinsic motivation,
perseverance, and increase creativity in problem-solving.
2. Remind them of the goal of the project [a robot that makes art; a talking
toy, a chase video game]
3. Ask them to imagine how they would make a thing that does that, if
they had any materials and any equipment.
4. Have some of the participants share what they imagined.
5. Finally, tell them that today they will be designing a thing that meets
the goal just like they imagined, but using the workshop materials.
*for this exercise, use an identity that is already familiar, like Batman is. "Maker" is an identity
most haven't heard of yet, and will develop as they do more Making.

Q: Should we show them an example?
A: Nope. Showing examples or focusing on following instructions can limit
the creativity of the designs the participants come up with.

Middle:
The
Troubleshooting
Tools

"I need help!"

Emotional Regulation
Frustration =
"I'm angry at myself (although I
might believe it's at the project or
materials, or even you)"
"I'm ashamed that I 'failed' and
now I'm afraid to try again."
Wanting to Give Up =
Our mental resources aren't available for problem-
solving when our emotions are overloaded.
When they ask for help, a participant might be feeling:

Recognize, and give acceptance
Carl Rogers, founder of humanistic psychology and Learner-Centered Teaching,
defines empathizing with someone as:
"You are a confident companion to the person
in their inner world."
The first step of helping a workshop participant with a problem is to establish
yourself in that role by letting them know (this can be nonverbal, see next slide):
1. that you recognize their experience (i.e. including their emotions,
not just the problem with the project)
2. that you accept their experience (i.e. "you having a problem does not
make me angry, or think less of you ")

Utilizing Emotional Contagion
Biologically, we unconsciously adjust to each others' emotions. You can consciously help
another person change how they feel, such as becoming calmer, by "broadcasting"
emotional signals, such as quieting your tone or breathing more slowly.

It's also an
opportunity
to model how to
respond to failure
on an emotional
level:
i.e. like it's no
big deal.

If you hear "I can't do it"
Respond with things like:
"That's normal, because this is new for you."
"Nobody is able to do new things well until they practice."
"The first time is always the hardest. It will get easier
from here on."
"It was hard for me when I was first learning too."

Don't say: "I can't."
This is because the participant is aware that's
not factual.
So, on a subconscious level, it's received the
same as if you were purposefully telling an
untruth, and withholding help for no reason.
Do say: "Let's work on it together instead."
If you hear "Can you do it for me"

First thing to try, always:
Encourage the kids to help each other!
Opportunity: to reinforce the maker values of
information-finding, collaboration, and not reinventing
the wheel.
And, it's just more efficient.
All you have to do is ask the participant to
compare their project to one which is already
working, and look for the difference.

The Trouble-Shooting Thought Process
Every "rep" engraves this process into the brain, able
to be accessed every time a problem is encountered,
of any kind.
If that's not an option, then walk them through

Step 1: Observation
"Let's look at how this is
working."
Have the participant try to make it work again while you both
look closely.
Notice that this is not the same as saying "Show me what's going wrong."
That wording has the effect of communicating, even if unintentionally,
that the solution to the problem is in the facilitator's "expertise."
Thus missing the opportunity to reinforce that the first step in problem-
solving is looking closely, which you can do on your own without a
facilitator.

Step 2: "Decompensation" (breaking things down)
There's also a tendency to jump to conclusions that a mistake was made in
following the instructions, and that can make it harder to see what is
actually in front of you.
"Can you describe what you
see is happening?"
Have the participant describe how the parts are working
together to create the output.
As we mentioned before when we talked about "computational thinking,"
looking at the parts instead of the whole is an important part of this thought
process that doesn't always come naturally, even for adults.

"What do you notice about
how that's working?"
Step 2: "Decompensation" (breaking things down)
You will probably start to see what's going wrong with the
project before the participant does.
If the participant doesn't seem to be noticing, after a while,
point out the specific area, and ask them to describe what
they see again.

Step 2: "Decompensation" (breaking things down)
If they still don't notice
Ask them relevant questions about the information that
was covered in the background information at the
beginning.
Example: "If the wire isn't touching the battery, is the
circuit still a circle? If it isn't a circle, then what happens?

Step 3: First Iteration
This includes sequencing steps or configuration of
parts, as well as other design/engineering skills.
The participant might say:
"Can I do [x]?" or "Will [x] work?"
"I don't know, let's try it and see!"
Hooray! It's your opportunity to say the magic
words of Maker learning!

Step 4: Continuing Iterations
If it doesn't work
Ask the participant to start the troubleshooting process again
at "Look closely."
Let them know you will be back to check on them, and leave
them to continue on their own.
Return to go through it with them again if they ask, or if you
notice they seem very discouraged or to have stopped trying
(rare).

Step 4: Continuing Iterations
If it works
Awesome! Opportunity: to reinforce that the participant just made it
work, themselves, by:
Looking closely
Trying things out
Persisting
Using what they learned from each try to make the next
one work better
Also an opportunity to reinforce the enjoyment of
problem-solving, by helping the participant be proud of
themselves!

End:
Reflection

What did you learn from making your project?
Are you happy with how it turned out? Will you keep working on it at
home?
What was the most fun part of making your project?
What problems did you have while you were working on your project? How
did you solve them?
What is your project’s name? Tell us its story.
What do you want people to notice about your project?
What are some ways you could share what you learned with your family or
friends?
Did you help someone else with their project, or did someone help you
(besides the facilitators)?
Adapted from "50 Questions To Help Students
Think About What They Think," teachthought.com
Suggested Reflection Questions

Reflection = Reinforcement
Of the process you used to solve your problems
Of your identity, with the Maker mindset traits you
demonstrated you possess
Of noticing what you enjoy, and that your
enjoyment of it isn't trivial, it's your fuel to geek
out and learn more!

NOW
LET'S GO
MAKE
STUFF!
(and learn more at
lamakerspace.org!)
Questions? Feedback?
Contact Mya Stark
mya@lamakerspace.org