The PLL Program
Education, with a focus on play.
The Playful Learning Lab (PLL) at the University of St. Thomas is an interdisciplinary research group led by Dr. AnnMarie Thomas. Our team of undergraduate research students, affiliated educators, and community partners work together to create engaging, hands-on experiences for PK-12 students and educators, with a focus on fun.
Making Makers: Kids, Tools, and the Future of Innovation
Through stories, research, and data, Making Makers builds the case for why it is crucial to encourage today’s youth to be makers—to see the world as something they are actively helping to create. For those who are new to the Maker Movement, some history and introduction is given, as well as advice for getting kids started in making.
Books
Disney (2018). A Wrinkle in Time Book of Fun, Facts, and Science. Farrar Straus and Giroux.*
*AnnMarie Thomas served as science consultant.
Thomas, AM., Fontichiaro, K., & Thomas, S. (2017). Building Squishy Circuits. Cherry Lake Publishing.
Thomas, AM. (2014). Making Makers: Kids, Tools, and the Future of Innovation. Maker Media.
Fontichiaro, K., & Thomas, AM. (2014) Squishy Circuits. Cherry Lake Publishing.
Book Chapters
Thomas, AM. (2013). Preface. In Buechley, L., Peppler, K., & Eisenberhg, M. (Eds.), Textile Messages: Dispatches from the World of E-Textiles and Education. Peter Lang.
Thomas, AM. (2013). Squishy Circuits. In M. Honey, & D. Kanter (Eds.), Design, Make, Play: Growing the Next Generation of STEM Innovators (pp. 119-137). Routledge.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Publication
Monson, E., Schumacher, K., & Thomas, AM. (2020). The PLAYground: An online summer camp for deaf and hard of hearing children. Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.14448/jsesd.13.0008
Peppler, K., Wohlwend, K., Thompson, N., Tan, V., & Thomas, AM. (2018). Squishing circuits: Circuitry learning with electronics and playdough in early childhood. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 28(2), pp. 118-132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-018-9752-2
Thomas, AM., & Besser, D. (2017). The maker movement and engineering. The Bridge, 47(3).
Peer-Reviewed Conference Proceedings
Baklund, M., Harjamaki, M., French, H., Roche, P., Kittams, C., Roche, M., Besser, D., Kulash, D., Jalkio, J., & Thomas, AM. (2020). Art in space: Using art to interest K-12 students in aerospace design. ASEE Annual Conference, Virtual.
Schumacher, K., Roche, M., Verschoor, E., French, H., Eggersgluss, A., Harjamaki, M., Fagot, A., Besser, D., Jalkio, J., Thomas, AM., Goldbach, C., & Bensen, A. (2020). Using music videos to inspire engineering. ASEE Annual Conference, Virtual.
Eggersgluss, A., Thomas, AM., Besser, D., Farah, R., Kittams, C., Monson, E., Schumacher, K., & Jalkio, J. (2020). Work in progress: Code + chords: Targeting self-efficacy in music technology. ASEE Annual Conference, Virtual.
Johnson, E., Rodich, E., French, H., & Thomas, AM. (2020). Designing little free libraries for community partners in a first-year graphics and design course. ASEE Annual Conference, Virtual.
Harjamaki, M., Thomas, AM., Schumacher, K., Bensen, A., & Monson, E. (2020). Math of OK Go. ASEE Annual Conference, Virtual.
Besser, D., Brown, K., Haugh, A., Brass, T., Leininger, R., & Thomas, AM. (2020). Empathy, engineering, and girls. ASEE Annual Conference, Virtual.
Schumacher, K., Besser, D., & Thomas, AM. (2020). Boat float engineering design (Resource Exchange). ASEE Annual Conference, Virtual.
Schumacher, K. (2020). Rosie Revere, engineer ecobrick challenge, student-developed lesson plan (Resource Exchange). ASEE Annual Conference, Virtual.
Eggersgluss, A., Thomas, AM., Besser, D., Jalkio, J., Kittams, C., Kubista, G., & Farah, R. (2020). Code + Chords: Engaging with coding, music, art, and technology (Resource Exchange). ASEE Annual Conference, Virtual.
Rodich, E., Besser, D., & Thomas, AM. (2020). Circuits and our environment (Resource Exchange). ASEE Annual Conference, Virtual.
E. Monson, D. Besser, AM. Thomas, and D. Monson. (2020). Art Bots (Resource Exchange). ASEE Annual Conference, Virtual.
Roche, P., Goldbach, C.J., Putnim, A., Jalkio, J., Kimball, K., & Thomas, AM. (2020). Circus Science: Designing responsive flying trapeze performance costumes. TEI Conference, Sydney, Australia.
Verschoor, E., Eggersgluss, A., Golbach, C., Thomas, AM., & Knoph, A. (2018). Using math to create a musical sandbox. Bridges Conference, Stockholm, Sweden.
Jagiela, A., Laleman, J., Huschka, P., Besser, D., & Thomas, AM. (2018). Developing and assessing a music technology and coding workshop for young women. ASEE Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, UT.
Meuer, E., Kern, E., Andrews, M., Tenhoff, A., Andrews, K., Huschka, P., Ryan, E., Tozour, L., & Thomas, AM. (2017). Painting pitches. ASEE Annual Conference, Columbus, OH.
Besser, D., Haugh, A., Thomas, AM., & Laleman, J. (2017). The effect of gender groupings at an engineering summer camp on increasing engineering knowledge and confidence. ASEE Annual Conference, Columbus, OH.
Kasper, B., Haugh, A., Kasper, N., Gunderson, B., Thomas, AM., & Besser, D. (2016). Design, implementation, and assessment of an after-school engineering program for deaf students. ASEE Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA.
Haugh, A., Lang, O., Thomas, AM., Monson, D., & Besser, D. (2016). Assessing the effectiveness of an engineering summer day camp. ASEE Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA.
Koller, E., Van Beek, L., Besser, D., Selcen Guzey, S., & Thomas, AM. (2015). Implementing and evaluating an E-textile curriculum in an engineering summer program for girls. ASEE Annual Conference, Seattle, WA.
Zierden, A., Boyd, B., & Thomas, AM. (2014). Science and engineering practices in food science and chemistry. ASEE North Midwest Regional Conference, Iowa City, IA.
Lague, A., & Thomas, AM. (2014). Stories to inspire very young engineers. ASEE North Midwest Regional Conference, Iowa City, IA.
Kasper, B., Koller, E., Gunderson, B., & Thomas, AM. (2014). Creative circuits with deaf students. ASEE North Midwest Regional Conference, Iowa City, IA.
Schmidtbauer, M., Johnson, S., Jalkio, J., & Thomas, AM. (2012). Squishy Circuits as a tangible interface. ACM Conference on Computer Human Interactions, New York, NY.
Thomas, AM., Hansen, J.B., Cohn, S.H., & Jensen, B.P. (2011). Development and assessment of an engineering course for in-service and pre-service K-12 teachers. ASEE National Conference, Vancouver, BC.
Johnson, S., & Thomas, AM. (2011). Exchange: Using Squishy Circuit technology in the classroom. ASEE National Conference, Vancouver, BC.
Thomas, AM., & Hansen, J. B. (2011). Certificate/concentration in engineering for P-12 educators. ASEE National Conference, Vancouver, BC.
Thomas, AM., Berrier, K., & Guggenbuehl, A. (2011). Daring young engineers on the flying trapeze: Using circus arts to teach dynamics. ASEE National Conference, Vancouver, BC.
Besser, W., & Thomas, AM. (2011). A comparison of design education across two fields: Lessons from industrial design and mechanical engineering. ASEE National Conference, Vancouver, BC.
Besser, W., & Thomas, AM. (2011). Roles in the design process: A survey of engineering and industrial design educators. ASEE National Conference, Vancouver, BC.
Hansen, J. B., Thomas, AM., & Wall, J. (2010). Teacher competency in engineering education: A professional development approach. P-12 Engineering and Design Education Research Summit, Seaside, OR.
Turek-Krengel, B., Woelber, S., Johnson, E., & Thomas, AM. (2010). Windmills in trigonometry class. ASEE National Conference, Louisville, KY.
Nesbitt, J., & Thomas, AM. (2010). Bridging the digital divide one tweet at a time: Twitter-enabled devices for family communication. ACM Conference on Computer Human Interactions, Atlanta, GA.
Johnson, S., & Thomas, AM. (2010). Squishy Circuits: A tangible medium for electronics education. ACM Conference on Computer Human Interactions, Atlanta, GA.
Thomas, AM., & Prichard, J. R. (2008). Brain-machine interfaces: A team-taught seminar bridging disciplines and fostering discussions. Frontiers in Education Conference, Saratoga Springs, NY.
Thomas, AM., & Prichard, J. R. (2007). Design for an aging population: A multi-disciplinary design retreat. ASEE North Midwest Sectional Conference, Houghton, MI.
Thomas, AM., & Breitenberg, M. (2007). Engineering for non-engineers: Learning from nature’s designs. ASEE Annual Conference, Honolulu, HI.
Conference Posters Without Accompanying Papers
Gatto, A. T., Chalkley, M.A., & Thomas, A. (2009). As parents age: A qualitative examination of communication in healthy families. Association for Psychological Science Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA.
Gatto, A., Adkins, S., Falk, B., Dauwalter, B., Thomas, AM., & Chalkley, M. A. (2008). An investigation into the usage and design of walkers. Minnesota Gerontological Society Conference, Brooklyn Center, MN.
Other Publications
Thomas, AM. (2017). You don’t need to be superwoman to succeed in STEM. Chronicle of Higher Education, 63(21).
Thomas, AM. (2016). Playing with Food. Make, 52.
Thomas, AM. (2014). What do I make? IEEE Computer, 47(12).
Thomas, AM. (2014). Why space tourism still deserves a chance. WIRED.
Thomas, AM. (2012). Engaging students in the STEM classroom through “making”. Edutopia.
Thomas, AM. (2013). Not failure. MAKE, 31, p. 17.
Thomas, AM. (2012). Real tools for kids. MAKE, 29, p. 27.
Johnson, S., & Thomas, AM. (2010). 1+2+3: Sculpting Circuits. MAKE, 22, pp. 78-79.
Thomas, AM., & Hansen, J. B. (2009). Engineering literacy: Building familiarity with engineering in K-12 schools. Manufacturing Success.