The FabLearn Fellows are experienced educators in formal and informal learning spaces world-wide who contribute to research about making and makerspaces in education and the development of open-source educational resources for their peers.
Despite the recent popularity of the maker movement and FabLabs in education, most teachers work in isolation, cut off from other practitioners doing similar projects, as well as learning sciences researchers. One of the main objectives of the FabLearn Fellows program is to bring researchers and practitioners together to help bridge these gaps. By connecting educators and researchers in the field, we hope the Fellows will learn from each others’ experiences, share these lessons with their local community, and together, create educational materials for use internationally.
The selected educators represent a vast array of maker educators who are making a difference in children’s lives worldwide. They come from schools, community organizations, and museums, and serve populations that include several age groups and populations in North and South America, Africa, and Europe. They are newcomers and veterans, all devoted to the idea that learning in the 21st century must be both hands-on and heads-in. The Fellows are trying to create deep, impactful learning experiences for children, avoiding the trivialization of maker education.
FabLearn Fellows will create educational resources and participate in research aimed to increase authentic learning opportunities for youth worldwide. They will be given opportunities to expand their leadership and activities in the maker movement in education, and share their amazing ideas and projects to help other educators around the world.