Tinkering to Solve Problems That Emerge During Digital Fabrication: Introduction of a New Problem-Solving Model

The digital age in which we live requires students to be able to solve problems in technology-rich learning environments; however, this skill needs to be better developed in traditional schools. With the growing popularity of Makerspaces in Canadian schools, young people can develop problem-solving skills while working on digital fabrication projects. Nevertheless, how students solve problems in these environments remains to be seen. While many problem-solving models exist, there is an absence of problem-solving models that address how students solve problems that emerge during digital fabrication. Through two of our previous studies on Makerspaces of five New Brunswick schools, we observed the problem-solving process, which brought forth tinkering as an essential phase of the problem-solving process. The purpose of this article is to clarify how students solve problems that emerge during digital fabrication in schools by using data from our previous studies to create a new problem-solving model that highlights the importance of tinkering.