ABSTRACT
Equally challenging is the constraints on time for exploration and activity that leave us trying to accomplish ambitious learning goals in very short periods of time, saving very little time for open-ended making. This unintentionally stresses product over process in the time that remains. In an era of high-stakes accountability, there can be a pressure to have something to be handed to the parent, or displayed on the bulletin board, instead of recognizing that the time spent in making should be designed to foster deeper communication between the individual and their materials, regardless of the end product. Not only is the appreciation for process over product a helpful frame for viewing the diverse forms of making across ages, cultures, and topics, but it is also a poignant reminder of how scholars and practitioners can unlock new understandings by changing the methods of the ways in which they work.
