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Title:
Meaningful Making
Brief description:
This virtual professional learning session introduces Meaningful Making, a collaborative STEM model that connects engineering, accessibility, robotics, near-to-peer mentoring, and community impact. Presenters will share the purpose and development of the model, implementation strategies, program data and outcomes, and examples of adaptive toy design as an authentic engineering challenge. A panel featuring an educator, FRC mentor, and students will provide multiple perspectives on the experience, followed by participant questions and discussion.
Learning Outcomes:
- Explain how meaningful making can connect STEM learning with authentic community needs and accessibility.
- Identify key components of an adaptive-toy and robotics-based learning model, including student mentoring and hands-on engineering.
- Examine program data and participant perspectives to understand outcomes for students, educators, mentors, and the community.
- Identify ideas and considerations for adapting or replicating elements of the model in local educational settings.
Speaker Bio:
Mark Muzzin is the MiSTEM Region 4 Director and the MSTA Region 6 Director for Oakland and Macomb, dedicated to expanding high-impact STEM education. He served as a board member, Treasurer, emcee, and keynote speaker for A Beautiful Me’s annual fundraiser, and also emceed the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Student Visionaries of the Year event. Mark’s work has been featured in state LEO and congressional DoD STEM reports for innovative, brain-based approaches to teaching and learning. He is known for creating engaging STEM experiences that empower teachers and students.
Jaimie Fons, M.S., CCC-SLP, is the Assistive Technology (AT) Consultant at Macomb ISD, leading AT, augmentative communication (AAC), and universal design for learning (UDL) initiatives in the county. Jaimie has worked for over 20 years designing inclusive instruction and collaborative solutions to maximize outcomes for all learners. Jaimie has an M.S. In Communicative Sciences and Disorders from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a certified speech-language pathologist. She has experience designing, delivering, and facilitating professional learning experiences on the topics of AAC, AT, Accessibility, and UDL at local, state, and national conferences.
