I had my first paid gig to talk about MakerSpace and Maker Centered Learning this past week at Galion schools. I had 4 , 1 hour sessions with teachers, split up by grade bands. I was at the Intermediate School (all are on the same campus) so I sat in on their opening session. They mentioned a “Literacy” push, so I added a slide to my preso about the book “Remaking Literacy” which is about how making (MakerSpace MakerEd MakerCenteredLearning) helps improve literacy skills by having students interactively engage with text in novel ways.
Being a Maker session, I wanted them to make something, so I settled on a name or room placard for their space that showed something about them or the class/room. I showed them my example and explained the parts of it. I gave them a bunch of materials to explore (LED’s & batteries, colored pencils, crayons, beads, buttons, googly eyes, pom poms, pipe cleaners, rubber bands, coffee stirrers, straws, popsicle sticks, colored paper). For the foundation they could choose from the pile of cardboard or cardstock. The cardboard gave them the opportunity to use cardboard tools (ZipSnip, cardboard scissors, canary cutters). I also had my Cricut available for those that wanted to add vinyl (or paper cutouts) and some hot glue guns. I had piles of the smaller materials at the tables, but the cardboard and paper was at a back table, as well as the extra’s of all the materials. Luckily we were in the cafeteria and could spread everything out and have lots of space to work. I gave them 15-20 minutes to get started with their creations. I wandered around, checking out what was being created and generally chatting about ideas that were coming up. Often there were questions about how to make LED’s work, so there was a nice learning opportunity for some. One person wanted to use the copper tape (which they found in my bins) to make a “paper circuit” on their placard…so we did that. There was a line at the Cricut - hopefully they realize they need more than one Cricut in each building, as well as at the hot glue guns. I had only put out 3 because there was only one table that I could put by outlets. People eventually took some to other outlets and used them on the floor or a stool that they found. You always need MANY hot glue guns. There was lots of socializing, laughing and creating. After they got going, I started my presentation, giving some foundation about MakerSpace / MakerEd / Maker Centered Learning, but more giving examples of using it in a variety of classrooms to learn content. They continued with their creations. There were various levels of attention being given because of making/presenting happening at the same time. I expected that. I hope this style worked and they all got something out of it. One Principal said she only heard half of what I was saying because she was focused on the making. I kinda think that is okay. What they heard will stick better because they heard it while making. One hour is not enough to get them everything, but hopefully many got a glimpse and a step forward. The person who brought me in said she could see the smiles and happiness of the people coming out of our session. Maybe that helps with the point that Making is just good for us. Cleanup took a while. I wanted to sort all the parts that were left over on the tables and get them in the proper containers. I think I might need to go with “miscellaneous bags” in the future. Create bags for each “maker station” of a mish mash of materials. Have my containers at the back for refills or when you need to find certain colors. Here are some examples of the creations :
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I participated in two days of CLE STEM in the City at two rec centers, Lonnie Burton & Michael J. Zone. This was a pilot project of “what could we do and how would it go over” between the City and NeoSTEM. We had 150 kids on day 1 and 100 on day two. We had learning experiences from :
All American Soap Box Derby Center for Arts Inspired Learning Cleveland Water Department Greater Cleveland Neighborhood Centers Association Holden Forest & Gardens Nature Center at Shaker Lakes SYATT I didnt see what everyone had but I did see animal pelts and skulls, water meter to take apart, lily pad and pond aquatic ideas, mini soap box derby racer to experiment with weight distribution, STEM Olympics, scribble bots, build a cardboard chair, take apart station. I also heard some music creation and heard something about “radio on the lake” (radio theater). I had 4 things for kids to do. One was building a geodesic dome from coffee stirrers and pipe cleaner pieces. Another was LED & battery, which I had hoped they would pair with the coloring station. The final one was binary bracelets, though they didnt seem interested in the binary part, so general bracelet making. Only one family did the geodesic dome station, and it was mostly the parents building the parts (10 triangles and 6 pentagons). Though the ~5 year old did make a few of the triangles, til she got bored. So I changed it to building 3D shapes for day 2. Still, only 2 kids built a shape. On both days, a decent number played with LED’s & battery, but only a few people combined the LED station with the coloring station. Bracelets were the most active station, it always had people at it. I talked about the binary idea with a few kids (and parents). There are so many STEM Maker projects to choose from. It is hard to choose which #STEM activity to do…what will they actually attempt, how much “learning” can you get in. The Michael J. Zone center has a great field that would be awesome for some pop bottle water rockets or trebuchets. I hope the City of Cleveland tries more of this, maybe even pushing to adult focused centers, maybe mixed aged with old & young together. (It would also be a great event to use a Mobile Makerspace, especially a laser cutter for some quick self designed trinkets…) Educators have been having discussions about “making school better” for decades. Yet the word that still shows up most in student surveys is “boring”. I believe we actually know how to make education better, and it is not just one thing in isolation. Tinkering at the edges has not helped. There are many things that need changed in order for “better” to happen. And you can’t experiment with changing just one, it doesn’t have enough impact to see change or create lasting change.
That is where Maker Centered Learning (MCL) comes in, because it actually is not just one change, it is the conglomeration of many. Maker Centered Learning is pedagogy based on Dewey, Montessori, Piaget, Vygotsky and Papert. It is hands-on, interactive, and trans-curricular. It makes us look at assessment differently. It changes focus from tests and grades to the learning process and discussions about learning and application and meaning of ideas. It changes how we look at time in the classroom. It promotes student voice, choice and personalization. MCL helps students search for and find their passions. It promotes social and emotional skills and health. It fosters all of the “C’s” that we can come up with (Curiosity, Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Community) , as well as the P’s (Projects, Passions, Peers, Play). Maker Centered Learning helps develop habits of mind that most businesses say they want in employees and, more than that, it helps people develop skills, abilities and attitudes that will help them thrive in society, maybe even make the world a better place. It is not one more thing to add to teachers’ plates, but a different, and better, way of doing what they had been doing. We are all born Makers. Making is how we experience and learn about the world, from mudpies to blanket forts to make believe to innovations. Yet, for some reason we stop or don’t include that in our school experiences. It is past time to bring it back. #MakerEd #MakerSpace #MakerSpaces |
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