In the fall my school was fully remote, but we had the opportunity to send supplies home before class started. I was ambitious, and I put together two different sets of making supplies as well as some printed materials for my 8th grade US history class.

The two making kits were embroidery and fabric collage. I will post later about the fabric collage.

The embroidery kits included a 6 inch embroidery hoop, a skein of black 6-thread embroidery floss, a needle (DMC size 5), and two pieces of fabric. In the late summer, when it still felt like I had all the time in the world to get ready for school, I decided to use up some of the fabric overflowing from my own collection and make drawstring bags to hold these supplies. I stayed up way too late making those bags the night before I had to drop them off at school for sorting. That was my own fault. While my timing was off, I was right that having the supplies in one bag was helpful for the project. They did not lose the supplies over the several weeks we worked on the embroidery. I also sent home some photocopied pages of simple embroidery designs from a Dover reprint book: Early American Embroidery Designs: An 1815 Manuscript Album with over 190 Patterns by Elizabeth M. Townshend (reprinted 1985).

I found some basic embroidery videos online from my favorite sewing instructor on YouTube, the Crafty Gemini and posted those for the students. (Seriously, she is a great teacher, and her step-by-step project instructions are fantastic for sewing, quilting, knitting, bag making, and just about anything else she puts her hand to).

Over zoom, I showed the students how to get the fabric into the hoop, and how to do it so the the fabric lined up with the bottom of the hoop so you can trace from a drawing or print out onto the fabric (hold it up to a window and let the sunlight act like a light table). This is a trick I learned from another great online instructor, Shannon Downey https://www.badasscrossstitch.com/  (badass cross stitch might not be a name appropriate for school, but that is the way it goes sometimes).

The first assignment was just to get some stitches done. I asked them to submit a photo of the hoop set up with some stitches of any kind.  We worked on some other things for a while, and I could tell that some of the students were working on their own, since they asked me questions about how to do certain stitches, or what I recommended they try next. Others put the project away in the bag and forgot about it.

I talked about the importance of needlework in the lives of women as we read about Oney Judge, an enslaved woman owned by Martha Washington. When she runs away she makes a living as a needlewoman, and we talked about the history of cloth and sewing, the importance of making clothing in a pre-industrial and early industrial world, and how the skills were essential to many women being able to make their way in the world in the 18th and 19th centuries.

I had students pick quotations about the United States, history, reform, justice, or related themes in another lesson, and I brought that lesson together with embroidery to create the list of options for the embroidery assignment:

Instructions for all options:

• Pick one of the three options listed here.
• Your embroidery should cover (not solid, but filled, decorated, written on) more than half the size of the hoop. It may be larger if you want.
• You may use any of the fabric (or some of your own), any of the floss, in as many or as few colors as you like.
• Embroider your name or initials to sign your piece.
• Turn in a good quality photograph and a one sentence explanation on schoology before winter break

Option 1: Finish the piece you started with your quotation or design

If you started with a quotation, add a small design from a part of the pattern from Early American Embroidery Designs (1815) by Elizabeth M. Townshend.

If you started with a design from a part of the pattern from Early American Embroidery Designs (1815) by Elizabeth M. Townshend, add at least 3 words or a full quotation.

You may add anything else you want to the finished piece. 

Option 2: A Modern Pattern with words and decoration

Do a google search for: free embroidery pattern printable and find one you like. Please pick one that has words and patterns or images, or add your own words to one that does not have any. Complete that pattern, or modify it to suit your taste. 

Option 3: Design your own idea and get it approved.

If you want to do something else, please pitch the idea to Dr. Pang.

We have not done any other embroidery assignments this year, but several of the students have kept going on their own. One mother contacted me to find out what supplies I should get for her daughter’s birthday, since she was embroidering all the time.

Looking back on the work, I think this project will stay in my class even when we are back to full time in person school. It unites the history of the craft, which is important in American history, women’s history, and economic history, (and really any period of history, those are just the ones that fit in my class) with practicing the craft. It is an opportunity for students to learn something that might be completely new to them, but is an ancient craft.

Weekend Maker Camp
a.k.a. 48 Hour Tinkering-Monastery

Instead of writing a boring blog post, I asked a friend of mine to ask me some questions about my latest activities as a maker educator.

Claire: How did you come up with the idea of a 48 Hour Makercamp?

Mathias: We have a weekend and the weekend is from Friday afternoon till Monday morning. During this time the school is closed and the Makerspace is also closed but filled with possibilities.

Claire: What was the selection process for the boys who took part?

Mathias: I invited 5 boys from grades 7-10 and three decided to take part. These boys practically “live” in our schools’ Makerspace – even during normal school hours, every possibility they have they are to be found in the Lab or in the Workshop.

Claire: Did you have concrete projects that you had planned out ahead of time for these 48 hours?

Mathias: Just roughly. I wasn’t the one who did the planning, the boys had their own projects which were important for them.

Claire: What were the projects?

Mathias: The projects were roughly the ones seen in the film. Firstly, we completed the setup and initialization of our new DIY CNC router machine which we built together several months ago. Secondly, we built an add-on for our DIY cargo etrike so that our kindergardeners can ride along on outings. Thirdly, we dove deeply into 3D modeling.

Claire: Did the students need to pay for the camp?

Mathias: No. They are my students during the week anyway, the school is here and we don’t need to commercialize everything that we do. For me personally it was just two days of my spare time which I am happy to invest in such projects.

Claire: Did the students earn extra credit for the camp?

Mathias: No, it didn’t have anything to do with formal school subjects, grades or school reports. On the contrary, it would have ruined their and my intrinsic motivation, the relationship between me and them and it wouldn’t have been fair for the other students. But, actually these boys belong to the cool guys in the school despite they don’t earn excellent grades during standarized tests.

Claire: How did it work with personal distance and your relationships as students/teacher through 48 hours of living together?

Mathias: This wasn’t the first time that I’ve done something like this. I don’t see myself so much as a “teacher” rather as a “coach”. I have no problem with these settings. It’s about a mutually respectful relationship as individuals. Small barriers are of course important, for example, we sleep in separate rooms and so on but I believe it is also very possible to keep professional distance while also supporting real world learning environments. That is what Maker Education is about. As a teacher I don’t want obedience from the students, rather collaboration and making together is what it is all about.

Claire: Why did you choose to offer this during the Covid-19 Lockdown in Germany? What did you need to take into account?

Mathias: We each took a Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test Friday afternoon which our school provides under special circumstances. I am also very grateful for the way in which our founder deals with the current lockdown situation. After the test, we built our own “contact bubble”. Coincidentally during the same weekend, the Handball World Championship in Egypt did the same thing, but ours worked.

Claire: Ha, ha…         It looked snowy in the film, is that normal for Germany?

Mathias: No at all for a long time. On Sunday morning when we woke up and looked out of the window, we were really surprised that it had snowed so much. Although the snow melted within two days, it was an exciting experience for the boys and I to scout out the empty school grounds.

Claire: Yes, it looked like a real winter wonderland! What a cool weekend adventure in January 2021 during the Covid-19 lockdown in Germany.

Mathias: Thanks for your interest, Claire!

In 1999, Seymour Papert, the father of educational technology, embarked on his last ambitious institutional research project when he created the constructionist, technology-rich, project-based, multi-aged Constructionist Learning Laboratory inside of Maine’s troubled prison for teens, The Maine Youth Center. As Gary Stager shares in the book, Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom, Papert outlined these 8 Big Ideas to help visitors understand constructionism as a living, practical approach to creating an optimal learning environment.

These principles have been translated into many languages (see Around the world with the 8 big ideas of the constructionism learning lab) and appear here in Arabic, courtesy of Ilaria La manna of Studio 5/6, a Fab Lab based in Qatar focusing on hands on learning for youth.

Arabic

الفكرة الكبرى الأولى هي التعلم عبر الممارسة. نتعلم جميعًا بشكل أفضل عندما يكون التعلم جزءًا من القيام بشيء نراه مثيرًا للاهتمام، ونتعلم أفضل ما في الأمر عندما نستخدم ما نتعلمه للقيام بشيء نريده حقًا.

الفكرة الكبرى الثانية هي استخدام التكنولوجيا كمواد بناء. إذا كان بإمكانك استخدام التكنولوجيا لصنع الأشياء، يمكنك صنع أشياء أكثر إثارة للاهتمام، كما يمكنك تعلم الكثير من خلال صناعتها. هذا ينطبق بشكل خاص على التكنولوجيا الرقمية: أجهزة الكمبيوتر من جميع الأنواع بما في ذلك الليغو (LEGO) التي يتم التحكم فيها بواسطة الكمبيوتر في مختبرنا.

الفكرة الثالثة الكبرى هي المتعة الصعبة. نتعلم بشكل أفضل ونعمل بشكل أفضل إذا استمتعنا بما نقوم به. لكن المرح والاستمتاع لا يعني “السهولة”. أفضل أنواع المتعة هي المتعة الصعبة. الأبطال الرياضيين يعملون بجد لتحسين مهاراتهم الرياضية، وأنجح نجار يستمتع بعمل النجارة، كما يستمتع رجل الأعمال الناجح بالعمل الجاد في إبرام الصفقات.

الفكرة الرابعة الكبرى هي تعلم التعلم. يحصل العديد من الطلاب على فكرة أن “الطريقة الوحيدة للتعلم هي عن طريق التدريس”. هذا ما يجعلهم يفشلون في المدرسة وفي الحياة. لا أحد يستطيع أن يعلمك كل ما تحتاج إلى معرفته. عليك أن تتولى مسؤولية التعلم الخاص بك.

الفكرة الخامسة الكبرى هي أخذ الوقت؛ الوقت المناسب للوظيفة. اعتاد العديد من الطلاب في المدرسة على إخبارهم كل خمس دقائق أو كل ساعة: افعل ذلك ، ثم افعل ذلك ، الآن تفعل الشيء التالي. إذا لم يخبره أحدهم بما يجب عليه فعله، فإنه يشعر بالملل. الحياة ليست هكذا. لفعل أي شيء مهم عليك أن تتعلم إدارة الوقت بنفسك. هذا هو أصعب درس للكثير من طلابنا.

الفكرة السادسة الكبرى هي الأكبر على الإطلاق: لا يمكنك أن أن تحصل على الصحيح دون أن تخطئ. لا شيء مهم يعمل من المرة الأولى. الطريقة الوحيدة لتصحيح الأمر هي النظر بعناية إلى ما حدث عندما حدث خطأ. لتحقيق النجاح، تحتاج إلى الحرية في التمعن فيما حدث والتعلم.  الفكرة السابعة الكبرى هي أن نفعل لأنفسنا ما نفعله لطلابنا. نحن نتعلم طوال الوقت. لدينا الكثير من الخبرة في مشاريع أخرى مماثلة ولكن كل منها مختلف. ليس لدينا فكرة مسبقة عن كيفية عمل ذلك بالضبط. نحن نستمتع بما نقوم به، ولكننا نتوقع أن يكون ذلك صعبًا. نتوقع أن نأخذ الوقت الذي نحتاجه للحصول على هذا الحق. كل صعوبة نواجهها هي فرصة للتعلم. أفضل درس يمكن أن نقدمه لطلابنا هو السماح لهم برؤيتنا نعاني من أجل التعلم.

الفكرة الكبيرة الثامنة هي أننا ندخل عالمًا رقميًا حيث أن المعرفة بالتكنولوجيا الرقمية لا تقل أهمية عن القراءة والكتابة. لذا، يعد التعرف على أجهزة الكمبيوتر أمرًا ضروريًا لمستقبل طلابنا، ولكن الغرض الأكثر أهمية هو استخدامها الآن للتعرف على كل شيء آخر.

The story of the Constructivist Learning Laboratory is documented in Gary Stager’s doctoral dissertation, “An Investigation of Constructionism in the Maine Youth Center.” The University of Melbourne. 2006.

I was a middle school teacher for three years before I confronted the reality that teaching public school and financial safety in the Bay Area don’t square up. Especially with a baby on the way. I therefore quit my brief teaching career and enrolled in the most competitive coding bootcamp available. This essay is a reflection as an educator and software engineering professional on what can be adapted to any enterprise seeking to improve outcomes of underrepresented minorities in the tech industry.

It’s never too late to start, but Public Middle School is the key time and place to build long term impact

My fellow students at the bootcamp were mostly young adults, male, and asian or white. There was only a dozen or so of us who stood outside of those traits. And though efforts were made by the organization to attract minorities, it was clear the incoming demographics were not diverse enough.

Studies (1) have shown interest for STEM is either nourished or famished throughout the transition to adolescence. By the time they reach high school, women and people of color have less interest, largely due to a lack of exposure capable of competing with the myriad distractions of life as a female or minority youth. Providing those opportunities and inspiration at the public middle school level should be an educational imperative. Any enterprise seeking to improve this situation needs to acknowledge the right time and place to make the long term difference: public middle school. There’s only so much we can do at the high school level when interest has already dropped.

Be willing to train teachers and teach kids

Many vendors offer resources and materials, but more effort needs to be put into widening the curricular makeup of teacher preparation programs, which are short and lean enough already. For example, MS Math is a great place to introduce computing connections with 2D and 3D coordinate planes, a fundamental for any future front end work. K12 education can’t just be about english and math anymore. Industry should seek to collaborate with teacher prep programs and schools to increase the number of teachers (not just specialists, but all teachers) capable of CS education (2).

Industry should also partner with middle schools, high schools and (community) colleges to run meaningful learning units, workshops and hackathons with effort, investment, real life tools, and real life changing opportunities and rewards for both students and teachers.

Maintain a relationship with families and children

Low SES minority families struggle supporting their children’s educational interests. Limited budgets for enrichment and math anxiety are just two of a number of roadblocks. Because this process needs to start early, any enterprise needs to acknowledge that a reasonable metric of success will follow the middle-school-through-college trajectory of beneficiaries. This means sustaining a close relationship through programs that culminate in scholarships, internships and jobs. It also means providing life changing resources to families. Often, minority families don’t even have the means to secure internet access. (3)

To attract diversity, offer diversity. In time, narrow it down.

A heterogeneous population cannot be served by a homogeneous curriculum. Maxine Williams, Facebook’s Diversity Chief, recently said: “What we look for are people who are very good in two specific subjects: data structures and algorithms.”(4) For the middle school population, the relevance of “Data structures and Algorithms” might not be apparent. Therefore, a child’s budding engineering identity would be well served by a series of scaffolds that bridge their interest towards the hard skills.

Creative computing and collaboration are two solid starting points. At the bootcamp I learned about pair programming, SCRUM, and git (GitHub has recently announced resources for education) which could be easily taught in middle school and above. Maker and STEAM education is particularly well suited to attract a wide range of creative interests that can evolve into more specific CS knowledge. (5) IOT, tech arts and crafts, games, robotics, graphics, and sound will attract a wide audience. Variables and structured programming will follow and build on the creative and collaborative foundation. Eventually, students will be ready for data structures and algorithms, machine learning, AI, full stack concepts, frameworks and more. Or become 21st century artists, which is just as good of an outcome.

Sources

1. Planning Early for Careers in Science (2006)
2. Universities aren’t preparing enough computer science teachers (2017)
3. Innovation in East Oakland: The Realities of Keeping Up Outside of Silicon Valley’s Bubble (2018)
4. Facebook Diversity Chief: ‘We Still Have More Work To Do’ (2018)
5. Mitchel Resnick: Designing for Wide Walls (2016)