Finland

The MAKEY project in Finland drew on a larger programme of research that was investigating children’s digital literacy practices and digital competence development in makerspaces within and across various sites. These included a city-run day care centre catering children aged 0–6 years old, two city-run schools catering children aged 7–16 years old, an art and craft school (SME), and a science centre. The makerspaces in these sites position children as active, creative and critical investigators of and with digital technologies. The makerspaces varied from adventurous inquiry in the digital domain through art, to more guided programming and electronic craft, 3D printing, game design, and e-textiles.

The project looked at the link between children's knowledge and skills within the digital environment and their creativity. Creatively engaging with digital culture involves understanding the capabilities of different media, and developing productive ways to use them in sense-making and self-making processes. The project identified the potential that makerspaces have for enhancing children’s creative and critical digital production skills. It also highlighted how they can become competent multimodal and multimedia designers and re-designers when provided with appropriate resources and support.

By applying sociocultural and contemporary literacy theories, the project found that research of children’s digital literacy practices and their development of competency in makerspaces needs to take into account temporality (ie. how digital competencies develop and manifest themselves over time in tool-mediated interactions). One must also consider analysing things on several levels: personal, relational and institutional. The multilevel approach allowed us to investigate maker activities as:

designed learning activities
communities of practice
knowledge construction and creation, and
identity formation.

The project was expected to have theoretical, methodological, and empirical impact. Theoretically, the project would develop new conceptualisations of young children’s digital literacy practice and competencies through dialogue between sociocultural and contemporary literacy theories.

Methodologically, the project would develop new ways of documenting, analysing and assessing the development of students’ digital literacy practices and competence development in makerspaces.

Empirically, the project would address a major gap in research; understanding what triggers children’s engagement, learning and identity formation in making activities. In addition it would look at how teachers and educators can support these processes, ways of modifying makerspaces and their pedagogical practices to aid deep learning opportunities and inclusivity.

The project was also expected to provide important insights into children’s digital literacy practices and competency development in makerspaces which would in turn influence makerspaces' policy and practice. It was hoped that the project would lead to new models being developed of the organisation and delivery of makerspaces for children in both formal and non-formal institutions, such as museums, science centres and libraries. The expected findings of the project would also hope to offer insights into teacher education programs, curriculum development, and into the design of new learning environments for different educational and cultural institutions serving diverse children and their families.

Progress

The Finnish team undertook three case studies which involved nine children and two teachers in early childhood centres, and 12 children and 10 teachers in libraries.

The team undertook observations, took videos and photographs and interviewed participants.

The team found that in order to enhance children’s digital literacy and creativity, there needed to be a provision of multimodal maker activities that re-mixed tools, means and contexts. The early childhood professionals demonstrated strong pedagogical expertise, which valued children’s agency, were aware of the digital possibilities of the activities, and sparked creativity and imagination.

The next stages of the project involved disseminating the outcomes with other researchers, teachers and educators in cultural institutions and SMEs.

MakEY Poster (PDF, 206KB)