Garnet Valley School District has developed Makerspaces in all three elementary schools, the middle school, and plans are in place for implementing and designing a High School Makerspace for the Fall of 2017.
What is a Makerspace? A Makerspace is an environment that promotes personalized student learning. It is a place where students actively participate through hands-on, collaborative, learning experiences that generate problem-solving and critical thinking skills. They spark innovation and creativity. Makerspaces are research supported and provide resources for all types of learners. As teachers, we often identify our students’ learning styles, interests, strengths and weaknesses, and then find ways that best support them. Makerspaces provide a solution for teachers to help support the needs of their students. Research on Makerspaces states that when students have ownership of their work, they are more likely to remember what they learn. When given opportunities for self-discovery, students are more engaged in their learning and more willing to try new things, learn from mistakes, and strive to seek answers.
Makerspaces represent a physical location where students gather to share resources and knowledge, work on projects, tinker, design, and become self-learners. They can be classroom spaces, learning centers, libraries or even a designated collaboration and innovation space. Makerspaces can look different depending on the age level, space availability, administrative support and financial means of your school district.
Regardless of what it looks like, it’s important to remember that these spaces are to personalize the learning experience. Makerspaces show students and teachers the importance of makers, creators, inventors, explorers, and doers, and the value of those roles in our world.
What Tools Are Need for a Makerspace? Once you designate a space, you should research and gather the tools and technologies needed to support the learning. These tools and technologies can support project based learning, design thinking, STEAM initiatives, robotics and coding, virtual field trips, and global collaborations. Recommended items for your Makerspaces include: Makey Makey Kits,Green Screen, Robots, 3-D printers, Legos,Snap Circuits, Tinkering tools, and repurposed items, iPads, Chromebooks and laptops. These tools support and enable teachers to create standards-aligned lessons to personalize student learning.
Makerspaces invite curiosity, celebrate discovery, encourage collaboration, and inspire learning. When implementing your own Makerspaces, it is important to keep those principles in mind as you choose the right space, technologies, and teacher trainings to promote personalized learning.
Citations: Fleming, A. & Krakower, B. (2016, July, 19). Makerspaces and Equal Access to Learning (Web log post). Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/makerspaces-equal-access-to-learning-laura- fleming-billy-krakower Educause. (2013, April 9). 7 things you should know about makerspaces. Educause Learning Initiative (ELI), Educause.edu. Retrieved from: https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli7095.pdf