Listen to "What is the point of a Makerspace?" on the Cult of Pedagogy podcast here.
Why should you include a Makerspace in your classroom?
Students BUILD CONFIDENCE as they learn to use a hammer or hot glue gun and make something out of nothing.
Kids GROW THEIR CREATIVITY as they create mixed media works of art out of recycled materials or scraps of paper.
and, they learn to PROBLEM SOLVE when their first idea does not work or they need a different way to attach googly eyes!
A Makerspace can be:
One corner of your classroom or a cart
A once a week, hands-on learning experience
A weeklong, intensive experience
Used for enrichment clusters or other student choice experiences
Integrated with your existing core curriculum units
What do kids do in the Makerspace?
Create meaningful and purposeful work
Make connections between core content and real life
Work at their own pace
Dive deeper into projects they find relevant
Master real life skills, tools and more
Make stuff!