Trial lecture - time and place
Adjudication committee
- 1st Opponent: Professor Keith Sawyer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
- 2nd Opponent: Professor Annika Lantz-Andersson, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
- Chair of the committee: Professor Monika Bærøe Nerland, Department of Education, University of Oslo, Norway
Chair of defence
Professor Inga Bostad, Department of Education, University of Oslo, Norway
Supervisors
- Professor Hans Christian Arnseth, Department of Education, University of Oslo, Norway
- Professor Palmyre Pierroux, Department of Education, University of Oslo, Norway
Summary
This thesis investigates the implementation and activities in a Norwegian public library makerspace. Using cultural-historical theory as the main perspective, this thesis examines the collective transformation of the makerspace and the library. I analyse systemic contradictions that arose during the process and how participants' efforts in the activities provide ideas for new pedagogical methods. The project focuses on the inventor course, a program offered by the library. The thesis aims to provide insights into the teaching methods used in makerspaces within a public library context, focusing on the challenges of promoting creativity and increasing participation. Below is a brief summary of three articles produced in the project.
Article I: This study examines the concept of inventing as practised by children and librarians in a public library setting. By analysing video recordings of one group participating in an inventor course offered by the library, the study finds that the course had a structure similar to that of a school, emphasising the provision of information and tool instruction. The children struggled to adapt to this approach to collaborative creativity. However, the children were more successful in coming up with ideas by playfully exploring their surroundings' materials and sensory aspects. The study also looks at how storytelling practices in libraries intersect with teaching practices and children's practices of inventing. The study suggests that it is important to consider the educational value of this intersection when developing makerspaces in public libraries.
Article II: Article two of this project investigates how children are positioned and position themselves as collaborative makers during an inventor course session. Using video recordings of one girl participating in two different groups, the study finds that children demonstrate two approaches to jointly identifying problems. One approach involves linking narratives about potential problems to seemingly insignificant things. This type of collaboration follows the sequential structure of collective pooling. This type of dialogue differs from the expected verbal turn-taking because the contributions may be nonverbal and emerge over time. The study concludes that facilitators and participants in collaborative making may prefer one approach over the other, with implications for participation and opportunities for identifying as a maker.
Article III: This article presents a cultural-historical analysis of a public library makerspace in Norway, looking at the tensions and contradictions that arose while implementing a makerspace and the value of these for further development of pedagogies in public library makerspaces. Using documents, interviews, and ethnographic notes, the authors analyse the impact of historical practices on the realisation of making in the library context and how current iterations of the inventor course aim to address these contradictions. The analysis finds that the current need for this library is to support children in using tools in meaningful ways in a self-directed manner. At the same time, this unresolved issue represents a zone of proximal development for the public library, offering an opportunity for the library to develop and improve in this area. The authors suggest further studies to explore this issue in more detail and identify ways to address it in practice.