Invent to Learn — Second Edition (2019)

Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom (revised and updated edition, 2019) serves as the foundational text for the maker movement in education, grounding hands-on making and tinkering in constructionist learning theory derived from Seymour Papert’s work. The book argues against instructionist teaching models that dominate standardized-test-driven schools, instead advocating for experiential, project-based learning where students construct knowledge through building physical and digital artifacts.

This revised and updated edition incorporates up-to-date research on making in schools alongside new coverage of the BBC micro:bit, Scratch, littleBits, Hummingbird robotics, equity issues, and lessons from schools around the world. Martinez and Stager synthesize historical foundations from progressive educators like John Dewey and Maria Montessori with contemporary maker practices including robotics, 3D printing, physical computing, and programming.

The authors provide practical classroom strategies emphasizing student agency through their “Less Us, More Them” teaching mantra, iterative design processes, and the importance of unstructured “messing about” time. Essential reading for educators seeking to transform classrooms into studios where learning happens through creation rather than passive reception.

The first edition (2013), which established the original framework, is also available.

Audience: K-12 educators, makerspace coordinators, curriculum developers, educational technology specialists, teacher educators, and school administrators.

Topics covered: constructionism · maker education · tinkering · project-based learning · student agency · hands-on learning · makerspaces · educational robotics · digital fabrication · Seymour Papert · progressive education · STEAM education