Conference Program

Background

Despite growing recognition of STEAM education's importance, significant barriers persist in translating interdisciplinary approaches into inclusive, community-engaged practices. Digital fabrication technologies often remain confined within institutional boundaries. This study examines how creative coding and digital textile design can reconfigure boundaries between formal education, maker culture, and diverse learning communities.

Research context

The project builds upon theories of learning communities as transformative environments (Wenger, 1998) and maker pedagogy (Martinez & Stager, 2013). Developed by Liceo STEAM International Bologna in partnership with FabLab Valsamoggia, the initiative created a multi-actor ecosystem comprising: high school students in interdisciplinary STEAM curriculum; teachers from mathematics, art, ICT, and design; young deaf adults from Fondazione Gualandi a favore dei Sordi (non-profit institution that shares building with Liceo STEAM); and connections to the international TurtleStitch community.

The school-FabLab partnership enabled complementary contributions: pedagogical expertise and curriculum integration; technical infrastructure (digital embroidery machine) and territorial networks. One teacher in dual roles facilitated institutional bridging. Material sustainability was integrated through recovered textiles from ReMida Bologna. The TurtleStitch community provided methodological inspiration and ongoing dialogue.

Bridging local action with global challenges

The project addressed interconnected challenges through situated practice. Gender disparities in STEM were engaged through textile arts as an entry point for computational thinking. Environmental sustainability was embedded through circular design and material upcycling. Digital inclusion was enacted through design choices: TurtleStitch's visual programming combined with tactile embroidered outputs created accessible pathways for deaf participants, replacing audio-centric technologies with visual-tactile modalities.

Methodological approach and development

Students engaged in year-long curriculum activities: exploring mathematical concepts (symmetries, transformations, functions, recursion) through generative pattern design; investigating cultural heritage through computational recreation of geometric traditions; and prototyping sustainable products using digital fabrication.

EU Code Week functioned as catalyst and dissemination phase, featuring student-curated exhibitions, workshops for external educators, and collaborative community sessions. Activities extended through two parallel tracks: ongoing curricular integration for design refinement; and regular workshops at Fondazione Gualandi where deaf young adults engaged in collaborative design, with students as peer facilitators. This temporal extension transformed the initiative from bounded event to embedded practice.

Pedagogical strategies included Project-Based Learning, flipped classroom, tinkering, and pair programming. Assessment integrated self-evaluation rubrics, collaborative documentation shared as open-source resources, and student-curated presentations.

Findings and implications

Analysis reveals multi-dimensional transformations. Students demonstrated transitions from algorithmic consumption to generative application of mathematical concepts. Deaf participants accessed technical and creative competencies through universally designed tools. Teachers exhibited evolution toward interdisciplinary facilitation roles.

The sustained temporal dimension proves theoretically significant: extending beyond episodic framework into ongoing practice demonstrates mechanisms through which time-bound interventions generate durable institutional transformation. Workshop continuation at Fondazione Gualandi evidences participant co-ownership, contrasting with extractive dynamics typical of school-community partnerships.

The study demonstrates that learning communities structured around shared making practices can address structural inequalities through co-construction of inclusive environments rather than deficit-based interventions. Integration of local institutional partnerships with global knowledge communities and challenges offers a replicable model for community-engaged education bridging formal and informal learning through sustained, multi-directional knowledge exchange.