Monday, October 4, 2021

The Makerspace - implementation in your school, and the challenges encountered.

Introduction to Makerspace:

Makerspaces encourage creativity, and an active role in wanting to understand how something is made or how it works. If you want a pizza, you could simply be a consumer and buy a pizza and that would satisfy your need to eat. But if you want to create a pizza, you need to understand what a pizza is and what goes into it, figuratively and literally. Makerspaces provide the tools and technology for students to move from being consumers of goods to creators of goods. (Richard, 2020) In essence, isn’t this what art teachers do? We engage our students all the time in a process of making and creating, learning to look at artwork and discover how it was created, pulling those elements into their own works, experimenting with techniques and materials to find out what works best.

In an art class, as well as a maker space we work as a community, bouncing ideas off each other and learning from each other. In an artwork, a student sends a message to their audience, but the audience also has an opinion, and they may project a different meaning onto the artwork, changing it, becoming part of the message. Similarly in a makerspace, we learn from the expertise around us, thinking about what we are producing and who we are producing it for.

When thinking about a makerspace, think back to kindergarten, where inquiry based learning is promoted and encouraged. There are no high stakes assessments ruling what students are “taught” or how they are doing in math. Instead, they are encouraged to explore. The students have a question, a problem or an idea, and they carry out investigations to find a solution to the problem, teachers facilitate questions and explanations, being an “expert” as a makerspace would have. Early learners observe, question and critique their practice, and are encouraged to collaborate with each other and help each other out. (Queensland Government (2019)).Moving into primary and then secondary school, students are thrust into learning a set curriculum and guided towards high stakes testing. But what if we incorporate maker spaces in all our schools, and allow for inquiry to happen at all levels?

Have a look at this video that explains what a Makerspace is and how you can implement it in your classroom:

Watch Part I here!


When we look into maker spaces, we often forget those in our immediate community. Have you encountered a Men's Shed, or Repair Cafe's in your area? We have a local Men's shed in Eltham, and I was all aghast when I first heard it was opening. How unfair to have a men's only space, aren't we beyond that? Until I realised what it did. It's a space for men (often retired or widowed) to work on meaningful projects at their own pace in their own time in the company of other men. A major objective is to advance the well-being and health of their male members and to encourage social inclusion. As Professor Barry Golding said: “Men don’t talk face to face, they talk shoulder to shoulder”  (AMSA, 2017)


Men’s Shed – Facilitate community engagement for men who are retired, to “tinker” with skills they have learnt, or learn new skills from others. Contact the Men's Shed here.


Repair Café – Aim to reduce landfill and encourage recycling and repurposing. People with different skills come together and fix items for cost of parts and a donation. Often run by volunteers and encourages a social connection, reducing social isolation. You can find more details about the Repair Cafes in Australia here. 


Early Childhood Education often follows the Montessori or Reggio Emilia approach. Montessori is based on self-directed activity, hands on learning and collaborative play – much like makerspaces.  The Reggio Emilia approach to learning explores how children are full of curiosity and creativity and values the development of the child in their environment. We know if we engage our students with something that they are interested in, they are more likely to engage in the learning experience. What if we can set up maker spaces for high school students that embody this natural curiosity, and with guidance, allow a progression of thinking?

This next video explains the challenges and opportunities to implementing a makerspace in your school.

Watch Part II here!

Don't Forget: 

  • Make sure students are aware of expectations of the space.
  • Establish procedures and guidelines.
  • Allow for reflection time, asking students to quietly reflect on their project and process what they are doing.
  • Make sure copy right laws are discussed and adhered to.
  • Make sure cyber safety awareness is discussed.

Some makerspace projects to start with:
  • Coding
  • 3d printing
  • Laser cutting
  • Soldering
  • Electronics / Arduino
  • Robot building / Robotics
  • Learn Circuits and Electricity with paper circuits
  • Sewing
  • Wood working
  • Take-a-part sessions
  •  Inventing
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Supplies:

 

Don't forget that Makerspaces are all about community, and pooling experience, so reach out to local community members who can assist you. 

 

Resource links:

 

SUMMARY

Let’s engage in makerspace environments to help foster knowledge in curriculum content in science, technology, engineering, art and math, alongside other subjects, where students can learn by doing. The maker space allows us to rethink classroom practice, and how digital tools can be used in the implementation of doing and creating. Make sure students are aware of expectations and factor in moments for reflection.

Makerspaces come in the form of low tech or high tech, and allow schools to offer active, hands on learning. Students can find innovation and creativity in makerspaces, and can work on independent learning skills. This is what modern learning should look like, where students learn to work independently but with collaboration in an environment that is hands on. We know that hands on learning is the best way for students to actively engage in their subjects, connecting learning to the real world. Teachers are working towards engaging students in more exploration, creativity, innovation and collaboration. (@creationcrate, 2018) Makerspaces provide materials for hands on learning as well as preparing our students with real world problems.

Knowledge is created through interaction, and learning is self-directed, with creative problem solving, determination and independence. 

Create a great Makerspace that your school can evolve with!


Helen

 


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The Makerspace - implementation in your school, and the challenges encountered.

Introduction to Makerspace: Makerspaces encourage creativity, and an active role in wanting to understand how something is made or how it ...