Page 26 - THE Journal, April/May 2017

STEAM
Leila Meyer
Planning and Implementing a Makerspace in Your School
Our experts offer 14 tips for adding a makerspace to any K–12 school.
N INCREASING NUMBER of K–12 schools are transforming
classrooms, libraries or other spaces into informal workshop environments where students can tinker or invent, and with good reason. According to The
NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2016 K-12 Edition, “Makerspaces are also increasing student exposure to STEM subjects and technical disciplines.
Learners are applying maker skills to address some of the world’s pressing challenges with innovative solutions.”
Planning the Makerspace
But how do makerspaces get started? THE Journal spoke with several experts, who shared their insights into the makerspace planning phase — not just designing or equipping the space itself but preparing the students and staff so that they’re able to make the best possible use of it.
1. Use Any Available Space
Almost any space in a school can be re- purposed as a makerspace. Harmony Public Schools in Texas has created makerspaces in several of its schools. One merged two classrooms into a single space to house a physics lab together with a makerspace, while another did the same thing to create a hybrid engineering lab and makerspace.
Yet another school in the district con- verted a storage room into a library and makerspace. The school district is also re- purposing a 4,000-square-foot storage space next to its central office into a makerspace that will serve several schools. Some other districts have created makerspaces in school libraries.
“Any space can be turned into maker- space,” said Mehmet Gokcek, the STEM/ PBL curriculum developer at Harmony Public Schools.
2. Create an Active Space for Making
While a maker culture can exist in virtu- ally any space, it thrives in an open and active learning environment. “It’s better to have a large, open space for kids to work
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