Are you looking for ways to incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) into your classroom? A MAKERSPACE is a tool that may be a great asset to your room that allows you to help your students explore these subject areas.
What is a Makerspace?
"A Makerspace is a place where students can gather to create, invent, tinker, explore, and discover using a variety of tools and materials" (Rendina, 2017). This typically is an area open to collaboration among individuals that allows them to combine STEM- infused ideas with their imagination in order to create something new. In layman's terms, this is a place where people/ children go to make things using their creativity (Rendina, 2017).
Why do educators use Makerspaces?
Makerspace areas allow students to think in a creative, higher- order, and problem- solving manner (Duncan, 2016). These areas help to establish a sense of community among students in a classroom; they also allow students to use their imagination to create something using tools and objects that they may not be regularly exposed to.
What does a Makerspace look like?
There is no set answer for this. All Makerspaces look different and can contain different things. This answer depends on the resources and funding that an educator may have. A makerspace can consist of basic items, such as: popsicle sticks, wire, tennis balls, and old electronics. These areas can also consist of more in depth materials, such as: green screens, 3D printers, or coding programs (Roffey). Essentially, any resource that students can use to create something new while using their creativity and imagination can be incorporated into a Makerspace.
How do students know what to build/ create?
In a Makerspace, the educator should develop rules and expectations of the area, but overall, students should generally have the ability to create something based off of their imagination and what intrigues them. "Children are tinkerers. They enjoy taking things apart to see how they work and being challenged to put it back together. By providing an array of materials, they can create something unique that has never been seen before" (Watson, 2015). Educator's may give their students a "challenge" to complete that gives them a task to complete, but even in this instance, the children are creating something that they feel will be the most successful outcome.
- "Want to build an alarm? Time to review circuits and switches" (Watson, 2015).
- "Want to create a small hat? Time to learn to sew or crochet" (Watson, 2015).
With these examples, you can see that depending on a student's interests, they will use their prior knowledge, imagination, and resources to create what they are envisioning.
Overview of this blog post:
Want to know more? Visit these sites!
- EdSurge- How to Build Your Makerspace
- EdTech- Makerspaces Encourage Students to Innovate and Build Critical Thinking Skills
- Smith System- Starting a Makerspace? Your Beginners Guide
References:
Duncan. J. (2016, April 25). Makerspaces: The Benefits. Retrieved May 28, 2018, from https://curiositycommons.wordpress.com/makerspaces-the-benefits/
engunneer. Youtube, YouTube, 30 Dec. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWe_TL-Http.
Rendina, D. (2017, October 09). Defining Makerspaces: What the Research Says. Retrieved May 28, 2018, from https://www.popsci.com/rise-makerspace-by-numbers
Roffey, Trisha. "Makerspace for Education." Makerspace for Education, Retrieved June 11, 2018, from www.makerspaceforeducation.com/.
Watson, A. (2015). Curious about classroom Makerspaces? Here's how to get started. Retrieved May 28, 2018, from https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/makerspaces/.
Makerspaces are awesome! It gives the opportunity for students to really think outside the box and put their higher order thinking skills to the test. The best part; the students love them! I have been in an elementary school where there were two designated rooms for Makerspaces. Every class had a 30 minute time once a week to go the the space. The rooms were awesome, painted nicely with a lot of gadgets and Lego boards on the wall. Some of my colleagues have used DonorsChoose to get this going for themselves. Thanks for the engaging post!
ReplyDeleteIt is awesome to hear that you have had the opportunity to see Makerspaces in action. The flexibility that an educator has in creating a Makerspace is amazing. I feel as though sometimes we do not have as much flexibility as we would like, but incorporating a Makerspace in the classroom allows us the opportunity to add whatever we see fit for our students. I would love to visit one of your colleagues and see their Makerspace in action!
DeleteUsing DonorsChoose to help fund the items for a classroom Makerspace is a great idea. Because a Makerspace could essentially be a very expensive addition to a school, creating a Donorschoose project would definitely help the process.
Thank you for your input and great ideas! I hope to have the opportunity in the near future to introduce my students to a Makerspace.
I am in the planning stages for starting a makerspace in the fall. The idea of having rules and expectations is a great idea to keep the area structured enough to get results. I can see how an area like this for the elementary level can be seen as free time to just play. Giving them the challenge is a great way to get results and promote task completion. Thanks for posting all of these great resources. I will be looking back at these again in the fall.
ReplyDeleteHi Tom!
DeleteI'm glad that these resources are so beneficial to you! I think that using this with your students will give you great opportunities for observations to be sure that your students are meeting their goals. I think it would be great to implement a Makerspace in my classroom. I definitely would be interested in seeing your setup in the fall if you decide to follow through with this.