Page 27 - THE Journal, April/May 2017

freely through guided inquiries,” said Burak Yilmaz, project director at Harmony Public Schools. “Students are going to have dif- ferent teams working on different projects, or in different phases of the same project, and a large open space really helps increase their productivity and creativity.”
Winnetka Public Schools in Illinois changed out the furniture in all of its mak- erspaces to make it more flexible. “We have chairs on wheels and desks that flip up and nest, tables that flip and nest and can be rolled out of the way, or stacked so that you can just have a wide open space or you can have tables for kids to collaborate at,” said Maureen Miller, director of technology.
3. Establish a Maker Culture
The space itself is not as important as establishing a maker mindset, according to Winnetka’s Miller. “It’s really just teaching kids that it’s okay to tinker and play and to problem solve, and to build those other skills of collaboration and communication and critical thinking,” Miller said. “The space helps, but it really doesn’t matter.”
Montour School District in McKees Rocks, PA, has focused on establishing a maker culture and developed a purpose statement to help keep everybody on the same page. The district’s purpose statement is “to establish and support a maker culture through 21st century resources linked to Montour’s curriculum to provide students with authentic learning experiences,” said Justin Aglio, director of innovation for the district.
4. Visit Other Makerspaces
To get ideas for establishing a school makerspace or maker culture, Miller suggests visiting established makerspaces in other schools, universities, public libraries and museums. “There are so many different opportunities to see makerspaces in action now,” she said.
The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh has a Makeshop where families can do woodworking, circuitry, textile processing — such as sewing and weaving — and stop- motion animation. The Makeshop also lets visitors take apart recycled toys, electrical systems and small appliances.
When Montour School District was
planning for its maker culture, two teachers spent an entire day at the Makeshop “to see what a makeshop looks like outside of a school, in a museum setting, and watch students interact with some of their stuff that they do,” Aglio said.
5. Involve All Stakeholders
During the planning phase, it’s a good idea to involve as many stakeholders as pos- sible, including teachers, students, parents and administrators, according to Miller.
Montour School District brought in someone from the Children’s Museum to speak with the PTA about makerspaces. Jennifer Kosarych, a kindergarten teacher in the district, said she thinks it’s important to get students’ input as well “to see what their interests are because we know that if they’re interested in it, then they’re more willing to try and be open to new things.”
The planning process should also include “student choice and voice, as well as teacher choice and voice,” said Harmony Public Schools’ Gokcek.
Yilmaz thinks districts should even con- sider involving local business and industry leaders in the planning process.
6. Choose Tools Based on Pedagogical Goals
The list of materials and equipment
that students can use in a makerspace is virtually endless, including 3D printers and scanners, microprocessors, robots, power
tools, sewing machines, construction toys, cardboard and duct tape.
Before purchasing anything, districts need to know what educational goals they want to meet. “One of our responsibilities at the district level is to make sure that all of the activities and projects available in our school makerspaces are aligned with the learning objectives and the standards expected by the state,” Yilmaz said.
Aglio describes the process as embed- ding the maker culture into the curriculum rather than layering it on top. When select- ing equipment, Aglio and his team looked for things that teachers could easily embed within their curriculum, and that students could use. “Make sure that it’s age-appropri- ate,” added Kosarych.
However, it’s important to strike a bal- ance between meeting standards and open inquiry, according to Gokcek. At Harmony Public Schools, students build projects
with educational objectives embedded into them, “so it’s guided, but not so much that students doesn’t feel ownership of their own project,” he said.
7. Start Small
Regardless of the space, equipment or goals of the makerspace, it’s important to start small. “Pick one, two or three things, if that’s all you can afford, and do those well,” Miller said. “And then add more in each subsequent year.”
Simple ideas like using clear bins to keep track of equipment can help a school makerspace flourish. Photo credit: Melissa Wallace, Montour School District
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