STEAM Culture! Why We Should Make Way for Maker Spaces: Final Reflection Part 1

"Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world."

                                            Joel Barker

How do I create a 'maker culture' in my school without space or funds? Our school is under construction so our 'in between' spaces are currently storing building materials and we have no space for storing educational items. We are a needy school without funds to start new projects. How can I put my dream of having a 'maker space' at school into action?

I repurposed a rolling trolley that used to hold a projector. I purchased several inexpensive clear bins with lids and grabbed some old bigger bins from home. I put a call out to my staff for specific recyclables and I began my research.

Next, I collected relevant materials that I already had in my classroom or at school. I pulled out origami and paper airplane books, as well as all my STEAM and maker books. These could be incorporated into the maker bins for inspiration and instructions. I made notes, and found samples of some ideas of projects that I had done with previous classes and made a trip to the dollar store. My colleagues (at school and at UBC) generously shared some of their resources with me. 

The more research I did, I realized that the purpose of the activities were quite different. Some of the activities were 'problem solving' tasks, others were 'creative' tasks. I changed the name of the Maker Cart to the STEAM Trolley as the activities were varied and covered all the disciplines: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.


Developing curiosity, creativity, and collaboration are my key intentions for students using the STEAM Trolley.

I have shared the STEAM Trolley with my class several times since its conception. Students were highly engaged and worked with others while pursuing tasks. I overheard several students say, "This is hard!" but to my delight they stuck with their task and completed their projects. The open-ended nature of the activities lead students to laugh, instead of being upset when their plans didn't go as expected. It may have helped that I introduced my son's robotic team's motto, "Fail hard, fail often."

In Leading from the Library: Help Your School Community Thrive in the Digital Age, Miller and Bass suggest “When we give our students the opportunity to explore and create, we also improve our culture by offering new and exciting experiences.” (2019). A classroom maker trolley is a new and exciting experience for both my students and me. The bins can easily be swapped in and out, and by adding new ones to keep interest high.

In Beyond Books: Bringing Students Into the Library Through Creative Programming, Alicia Vandenbroek suggests, “As the role of the librarian continues to evolve, it is critical that we focus not only on books, but also on all the other resources we provide.” (2013). I incorporated several of Vandenbroek's most successful programs like origami, technical drawing, paper airplanes, and  friendship bracelets.  

Each bin contains everything needed for small groups of students to work, and many activities can be easily adapted for a whole class to use.

Two large bins that contain recyclables are for 'creative making.' In Tinkering With Makerspaces author Christopher Hunt says, "We try to go off book, and deviate from, or ignore, instructions. We try to throw away the cookie cutter (smash it, really). Each kid should be able to proudly say, “I made this; I’m impressed with my creativity; let me tell you how I did it; let me tell you about the things that went wrong; let me tell you how it works now, and what it is for….” With each of my students I kept challenging them to improve or adapt their projects to make it their own. I certainly had no problem with students sharing their creations. They were always quick to talk about what their project was and how they made it.

Pinterest 

I have collaborated with my school librarian to start a lunch time Maker Club.  We decided that the club would be for Grade 2 and 3 students because the Grades 4-7 students have lunch time opportunities such as choir and floor hockey.  We already have grade seven students that have expressed interest in leading the club. We are going to start with some simple winter crafts, then after the holiday open up the STEAM Trolley to the Maker Club. We will also offer the Spheros during an after school session as there won't be enough time during lunch. The advantage to using the Spheros after school is that parents can view their child's work when they are picked up. 

Why is fostering a maker culture important? There is an overwhelming amount of research that supports developing a 'maker culture' in schools and public spaces like libraries. In The Resilient Educator the article The Benefits of Teaching STEAM Lessons the writers describe benefits such as meaningful collaboration, increasing critical thinking skills, hands on experience, non-linear problem solving, and encouraging different ways to value the arts.

With a broader educational goal in mind What is STEM and Why is it Important? article the author and researcher David White concludes that teachers of K-12 are important influences in introducing the STEM concepts and that, "These concepts may lead to the students pursuing a STEM major in higher education and ultimately choose a STEM career within the workforce."

In Makerspaces: The Benefits the article outlines advantages that are close to my heart. It references recent research that supports that makerspaces are learner-centered, empowering, and authentic. “When we allow children to experiment, take risks, and play with their own ideas, we give them permission to trust themselves. They begin to see themselves as learners who have good ideas and can transform their own ideas into reality.” The article also explains that maker spaces help prepare students for the future. "Makerspaces are increasingly being looked to as a method for engaging learners in creative, higher-order problem-solving through hands-on design, construction, and iteration.”

“Ultimately, the interdisciplinary and empowering natures of these makerspaces can help prepare youth for a future we can’t yet imagine.” Davee, Regalla & Chang, 2015

Another important benefit of maker spaces is the high level of student interest and engagement, especially for students that may be struggling academically or socially at school. In Strategies to Engage Reluctant Learners  the article encourages teachers to support, encourage and empower their reluctant students by increasing engagement. This may look different for each student so teachers need to change their practice to reach all students. Many of the strategies to engage learners suggested in the article are authentically presented in a maker culture. A safe learning space, interest, choice and peer support are naturally embedded in maker activities.

The STEAM Trolley is just the beginning of my learning vision. There is more action to come in transforming my 'maker' dream into reality. I have taken a huge step in my own risk taking and technology skill development by creating a video to present to my staff, parent advisory and school district promoting the benefits of Maker culture in my elementary school. There is a greater purpose for this. I am hoping to secure some finances to purchase Lego for the school library. There are so many ways to use Lego bricks to enhance student learning and solve STEAM challenges. Here are a few links with some inspiring ideas: Ways to Use Lego in the Classroom,  30 Day Lego-STEM Challenge, and Printable LEGO Challenges for Kids.

Orchard School Lego Wall

Expanding the STEAM Trolley to include more digital and technical kits, something my school is lacking, will be my next goal. I will soon include bins with supplies to make penny spinners, catapults, umbrellas, cardboard structure pieces, egg drop kits... and then I can draw ideas from 26 Projects to Jump-Start Your Maker Space.

Equity is a huge concern for educators like me, working in a school that does not have many resources to draw from.  More than lacking, our school is lagging behind in learning opportunities that other schools in our district have had for years. I am hoping my video, presented to the right people, may lead to a larger collaborative action team that can work to bridge the gap in technology.

I have created a simple rubric for primary and intermediate students that can be used by teachers in assessing students. I have used the new reporting language that will be implemented next year and incorporated the Big Ideas in ADST (Applied Design Skill and Technology) as well as the Core Competencies. Sharing the STEAM Trolley with teachers and providing an assessment rubric is a small way that I can support my staff right now. 

My goal is to move my teaching experience and love of literacy into the library in the next year or so. As a Teacher-librarian I will be adding digital mentor to my list of responsibilities. I have stepped up my involvement in technology in a number of ways. I have made an intentional effort each week to learn at least one new skill and teach it to any staff member that is interested. I have made a point of reading every Tech Newsletter that is sent to me from my school district. I have learned timely and valuable tips in every issue. I have reached out to more tech savvy friends and colleagues to help me solve issues I can't figure out from youtube instructions. Instead of shying away from tech challenges I am trying to figure them out by including my students in the process.

My vision has action! See my next blog post to see my digital artifact embedded in my final blog Reflection 2.

References

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