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Maker education—a term coined by Dale Dougherty in 2013—closely associated with STEM learning, encourages students to get involved in activities that often have collaborative, learning experiences as a method for solving authentic problems. The transformational approach to teaching is similar to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as both provide a broad category of grouping academic disciplines. The maker education movement allows students to learn to address problems in a creative manner while simultaneously developing critical skills in the process. Such an approach attends to the relevant interests of students while asking them to be aware of various designs in a real-world scenario. The students are allowed to visualize themselves as people who can improve and work on designs and offer better solutions. According to Martin (2015), maker education is a thought-provoking approach that comprises a wide range of activities such as blending of design and technology for achieving creativity in the field of robotics, digital storytelling, arts and crafts, and electronics to name a few.
Scientific and technological innovations have become increasingly important in every aspect of our lives which created growing interest in STEM education. However, high interest has not resulted in improving STEM achievement. Despite the efforts to revitalize engagement and learning in these fields, a relatively small percentage of students in the U.S choose and complete STEM degrees (OECD, 2015). Therefore, many are discouraged from excelling and pursuing or developing interest in these fields due to several factors such as gender, ethnicity, SES, linguistic, or ability differences from the mainstream (Cole & Espinoza, 2008; National Science Foundation, 2019). There is an urgent need for improvement in STEM education as these disciplines are among the primary contributors to a nation’s capacity for innovation, inform full civic participation, constitute the fastest-growing career tracks in the knowledge economy. It is crucial to engage, equip, and prepare students in STEM, as it enables them to develop a broader perspective of the world and other disciplines. Minority students face the difficulties of being underprepared due to insufficient exposure of the appropriate STEM fields in the United States. They also lack relevance and identification in early science experiences (Slovacek et al, 2011). The literature has identified that Latino/a, African-American, and American Indian students along with differently-abled students and women face difficulty in getting enrolled for science and engineering academic programs (Cole & Espinoza, 2008). The demand for STEM knowledge and skills are growing yet there is a gap in minority students getting appropriate opportunities to enter the STEM fields. Maker education projects hold promise in reaching these populations as they involve different modalities, hands-on aspects, and often hold relevance for newcomers in academic fields.
The Chef Koochooloo platform, examined in this article, is a grassroots project and an educational platform that follows the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) approach for a comprehensive teaching and learning experience by attending to learners’ needs and interests. The project is built upon the theoretical framework using STEAM education while imparting more than education in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. STEAM is viewed holistically for the development of a curriculum that involves rigorous content from all the interdisciplinary fields for providing solutions to real-world problems. The exposure to STEAM and Maker education has demonstrated the potential to address inequities observed in the science learning landscape of high schools, colleges, and the workforce (Sadler, 2009; Sias, Nadelson, Juth, & Seifert, 2017; Shute et al., 2020). Because