MAKER MOVEMENT IN ANALYSIS: EVALUATION OF EDUCATIONAL PROCESSES IN HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES
The present research aims to investigate evaluative strategies for Maker Education, in which students learn through practical and concrete activities, with the goal of evaluating collaboration, creativity, communication, critical thinking, and conceptual content. The research identifies five common problems in school assessment and maker practices: 1) Evaluation as an individual, fragmented, and punitive process; 2) Assessment as synonymous with tests; 3) Evaluation centered on written or oral tests, not exploring multiliteracies; 4) The false idea that grades measure everything in the educational process; and 5) Assessment as a punctual and final process. As a solution, the Praxis Maker Slingshot is proposed, a theoretical device with guidelines for planning and evaluating maker practices based on six conceptual layers: 1. Planning for Interpretation; 2. Ideation Flow; 3. Technological Artifacts; 4. Education Design; 5. Factual and Conceptual Content; and 6. Maker Multiliteracies. The study was conducted in a FABLAB-SCHOOL in São Paulo and analyzed the functionality of the method created through 2 workshops with 20 teachers in initial training in the Natural Sciences course. The results indicate that the created methodology favors teacher training, developing a maker mentality; knowledge about tools and technologies; teaching practices that promote key skills; and subsidies for assessment based on clear criteria and self-evaluation of work. The study encourages experimentation, critical thinking, and innovation, identifying moments to reflect on one's own learning process and encourage collaboration among teachers to improve evaluation practices in Maker Education.