MakerStudioPeda Summer School, 23–25 May, 2022

The core research team had their first summer school in Björkboda to discuss pedagogies related to design studio and craft teacher education.

How to discuss learning when it takes place in different spaces among many people and through interacting with various materials and tools? As the core research team of MakerStudioPeda, we have been collecting extensive ethnographic data since September 2021 to understand ways of learning in the design studio. Being in classrooms and studios, following and documenting different learning processes provided a rich ground to build our understanding related to learning, creativity, and making.

After collecting our data in a textile design course at Aalto, from May 23 to 25 we had a summer school in Björkboda to develop our shared understanding and to collectively make sense of learning in the studio setting. During these three days, the team shared reflections to identify directions for furthering the research and to unpack various sociomaterial interactions that are embedded in learning. These reflections were later shared with the partners and advisory board members that come from Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, and the United States in an online meeting.

Being away from an institutional environment and working in nature extended the idea of how learning takes place. Morning swims, good food, evening sauna, and sharing laughter supported the team development and created a shared language.

In the next steps of the project, we will continue with a systemic analysis of our collected data, co-author publications, and collaborate with our partners in their institutions to gain a broader sense of the Nordic perspective.

More information about the project here.