Eight Big Ideas Behind the Constructionist Learning Laboratory
A set of guiding principles for creating hands-on, constructionist environments where learners take charge of their own education through interest-driven projects. It focuses on the mindset of both the learner and the facilitator in a technology-rich setting.
When a few voices dominate or quieter people don't contribute
Your group discussions aren't balanced, you need better ways to include everyone, or conversations go in circles.
When setting up maker spaces, innovation labs, or designing curriculum for self-directed learning environments.
Learning by Doing
Technology as Building Material
Hard Fun
Learning to Learn
Taking the Time
Getting it Right by Getting it Wrong
Making Ourselves what we Make our Students
Entering a Digital World
Ensures every voice is heard and the group's collective intelligence is unlocked.
Use these ideas as a checklist for session design: ensure learners are making something they want (Idea 1), allow for 'hard fun' (Idea 3), and explicitly model the struggle of learning (Idea 7).
- 1Use structured turn-taking to balance voices
- 2Start with individual reflection before group discussion
- 3Create safe spaces for minority opinions
- 4Summarize and synthesize regularly
- Maker education
- Self-directed professional development
- Engineering and design thinking
- Growth mindset cultivation
- Learner autonomy and time management
- The necessity of 'bugs' and errors in the learning process
- Facilitator transparency in their own learning journey
- Digital fluency as a medium for learning all subjects
- Learners accustomed to traditional 'teaching' may initially struggle with the lack of structure
- Facilitators must be comfortable not having all the answers
- Time management is often the most difficult skill for learners to master in this framework