The Maker Playbook

A Guide to Creating Inclusive Learning Experiences

By Caroline Haebig

ISBN: 9781564848925

September 2021

Length: 240 pages

Table of Contents

Read an excerpt

Interview with author on BAM Radio

Interview with author on TeacherCast

“This book modernizes making by focusing on both the physical and digital, and by expanding the perception of making beyond the spaces where it may or may not traditionally occur. Instead, the author focuses on how culture influences our ability to develop innovative thinkers. She does a masterful job connecting her personal ‘why’ to a series of well-structured steps for implementing an inclusive culture for making (via in person or remote instruction) to benefit students with a wide variety of strengths and challenges. This book is a must read for anyone pursuing a vision where all students graduate as critical thinkers ready to make the most of college, career and life in an innovation economy.”

-- Laura A. Schmidt, chief talent development officer, Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition

Get concrete strategies for designing and implementing cultural and instructional supports for maker learning, and equipping makerspaces to model universal design for learning (UDL) in action. 

School leaders and classroom teachers alike are looking for ways to integrate maker learning into their work in meaningful ways, but they simply don’t have the time, capacity or resources to review, synthesize or adapt existing models into their own school systems. The Maker Playbook offers a vision and the tools needed to streamline the process, including high-impact strategies you can put directly into action to foster an inclusive maker learning environment.

In these pages, you’ll find ready-to-use strategies and resources to guide learners in the design thinking maker learning process. With the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines as a basis, you’ll get ideas for helping all students learn, and guidance for developing the scaffolding to help all learners reach levels of higher-order thinking and engagement. 

The book:

• Offers strategies that can be implemented on a personalized and systemic level to build a maker learning culture and program from the ground up. 
• Highlights “Go Remote” tips with each strategy to assist you in implementing the ideas in a virtual environment.
• Includes recommendations for prioritizing and choosing from the strategies provided to help with planning and implementation. 
• Offers resources for engagement, representation, action and expression to improve accessibility and boost students’ executive functioning skills.
• Includes QR codes and links to digital versions and templates for scaffolding learning to help you jump into action. 

Whether your school system has begun this journey and is looking for ways to enhance established maker learning and makerspaces or is ready to start laying the foundation for providing maker learning experiences for all learners, this book is designed to help educators make maker learning more accessible for all.

Audience: K-12 educators and school leaders

About the Author

Based in Wisconsin, Caroline Haebig (@Haebig) has extensive experience designing and leading professional learning for teachers, instructional coaches and administrators nationwide. Focused on helping educators develop innovative teaching, learning and assessment practices, she has successfully facilitated student, teacher and administrator preparation for school system 1:1 technology initiatives to support student learning, and led districtwide work in inclusive maker learning and technological literacy. Haebig is an Apple Distinguished Educator, a Google Certified Innovator, and a recipient of the University of Indiana Jacobs Educator Award and the ISTE Outstanding Young Educator Award.

More Reviews

“In the The Maker Playbook, Caroline D. Haebig artfully lays out the rationale for meaningful maker learning, while providing well-illustrated strategies and resources to get started. It’s the perfect mix of supporting the reader in developing understanding and providing the ‘how to.’ Most notably, the reader will be empowered to ensure that all students are included and attain high levels of learning. This book is highly recommended for instructional coaches looking to support inquiry-based learning, administrators seeking ways to ensure engaged learning, teams who are ready to collaborate around student-centered learning, and individual educators ready to diversify their instruction to support the highest levels of thinking.”

-- Rob Meyer, director of teaching and learning, Beaver Dam Unified School District, Wisconsin

“This is an invaluable resource for K-12 educational leaders seeking to bring a makerspace to their schools or districts. Haebig digs deep into the foundation of starting a new maker program, identifying purpose, engaging all stakeholders and scaffolding the necessary steps to forming a creative and meaningful program. This book provides the tools to get started with detailed step-by-step activities; ideas for remote learning and collaboration; and practical, hands-on examples, templates and QR codes that extend this resource beyond the page.”

-- Anne Negri, drama specialist, playwright, creative arts educator