STEM Literacies in Makerspaces

Book excerpt: Providing an original framework for the study of makerspaces in a literacy context, this book bridges the scholarship of literacy studies and STEM and offers a window into the practices that makers learn and interact with. Tucker-Raymond and Gravel define and illustrate five key STEM literacies—identifying, organizing, and integrating information; creating and traversing representations; communicating with others for help and feedback during making; documenting processes; and communicating finished products—and demonstrate how these literacies intersect with making communities. Through careful observation and analysis of multiple case studies, the authors highlight the impact of research and practice to support teaching and making in a variety of environments. Using a nuanced, engaging framework, they examine the necessary skills required to develop and foster makerspaces in formal and informal contexts for all students. Grounded in cutting-edge research, this volume paves the way for future study on supporting making and literacies in STEM.