TESTEd goes north – international Makerspace in Oulu

From 14 to 16 May, members of all TESTEd teams gathered in Oulu, Finland, to deliver the second edition of the Makerspace. The event saw students creating Open Educational Resources (OER) on the five cross-cutting issues.

Participants were not only gathering in Oulu: In all TESTEd sites local teacher students took part in the Makerspace guided by local TESTEd team members. The three-day event with 11 in-person and 20 online participants was part of the second iteration of the Lecture Series. Unlike the 2023 edition of the Makerspace, students worked in international teams on the production of OER for the classroom. Collaboration was facilitated by video conferencing and online collaboration tools. Throughout the event, the teacher students received support from the local TESTEd members, teachers, TESTEd alumni, and the team in Oulu.

The event also introduced Lego Serious Play and Design Thinking methods to the teacher students. The introduction of Lego Serious Play not only provided a unique entry point into the creative process of the Makerspace event but was also a fun icebreaker which led teacher students to reflect on their own role and collaboration during the event. The Design Thinking method was adapted for the three-day event. It enabled the teacher students to critically evaluate their creations and make changes to their prototypes to constantly improve on their first concepts. The prototypes received regular feedback from all participants in the Makerspace to help guide the development of the OER.

The results were OER prototypes, e.g. in education for sustainable development with a focus on fashion and water protection or democracy education through student parliaments. The international collaboration enhanced the creativity of the teacher students as well as contributed to the topics of the materials. Students let their own cultural backgrounds and interests inform the development of ideas. The nature of the Makerspace event and the lecture series allowed teacher students to step back from constraints and preconceived notions of classrooms, teaching and education and instead develop ideas and materials in a unique way. It impressively showcased the opportunities of collaboration and international exchange in tackling cross-cutting issues.