Making on the Move: Bringing Mobile Makerspaces to Under-Resourced Communities
Jahid Omar Hossain, Angelina Penza, Asha Marwaha, Angelina Patel, Faatiha Kalam, Eric Obeysekare, Khanjan Mehta · 2024
The maker movement, characterized by hands-on experiential learning methods, is gaining traction in various educational settings worldwide. The didactic attention on creative making has led to the emergence of makerspaces, which have been further developed into mobile makerspaces (MMS). This paper presents a narrative review of the current landscape of MMS, guided by underlying learning theories that emphasize hands-on, experiential learning. This paper examines peer-reviewed articles, reports, and case studies across diverse educational systems and settings worldwide, focusing on their design features, implementation strategies, and outcomes. The findings suggest that MMS have the potential to significantly enhance Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education by providing hands-on, experiential learning opportunities. However, challenges such as sustainability, funding, and logistics persist. The review highlights the critical need for developing and applying well defined approaches, curriculum adherence, and business models in the implementation and assessment of MMS to maximize their benefits. This paper offers targeted recommendations for optimizing the design, impact, and integration of MMS, ensuring they meet educational objectives while also boosting agency, instilling confidence, and fostering creative problem-solving skills in students.