My challenge this year was to introduce and tackle makerspaces in the library. Having collected a variety of materials such as Lego blocks, arts and crafts materials, iPads and laptops for coding, as well as a set of Kapla blocks introduced to us by our resident engineer, I invited primary and junior students to join me and a small group of dedicated teachers to build and create together. Unsure as to what a makerspace club should look like, I decided to go into it with an open mind and allow my students to take the lead.
After reading "
Rosie Revere, Engineer" by Andrea Beaty and talking about perseverance, the power of failure and the magic of invention, I told students that the makerspace club is their club and all the creating, collaborating and inventing will be entirely up to them. We agreed on a few basic rules, explored the available materials and set out on a journey of building, creating and collaborating.
Through this process, I discovered that there is no one perfect recipe for creating makerspaces. What makes them work are the following:
- student voice and choice
- access to a variety of materials
- expert advice -anyone can be an expert!
- flexibility
- "what if" questions
- challenges and authentic situations and problems
Getting Started with Makerspaces
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