Lacy Brejcha - Makerspaces in School: A Month-By-Month Schoolwide Model for Building Meaningful Makerspaces

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currently on file with the publisher.

Copyright 2018, Prufrock Press Inc.

Edited by Katy McDowall

Cover and layout design by Allegra Denbo

ISBN-13: 978-1-61821-782-0

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Dedication

To Jim, my husband, Im so grateful youre the person I get to do life with. You support me and cheer me on, and are patient when my passions arent always convenient. You truly love me unconditionally that must be hard!

To Brooke, my oldest daughter, youre sporty yet refined, are relentlessly creative in ways that are uniquely your own, are observant, and have a great moral compass.

To Grace, my youngest daughter, youre fashionable in your own unique way, carefree, spirited in a way that I hope you never lose, and my sweet snuggle buddy.

I love you three with every ounce of my being. Remember, God is the source of your confidence and self-worth. You are fearfully and wonderfully madebe you!

To my mom, who always told me to pursue my dreams, no matter what they were or how odd they may have been, I love you and thank you!

To all kids especially those who learn differently and have to work extra hard at school in the regular classroom setting. You are the reason Im passionate about the maker mentality because you are successful in making and this is where you shine. Dont miss out on opportunities that could be great just because they may also be extremely challenging.

Table of Contents

Foreword

A schoolwide Makerspace program offers students a place to create, collaborate, and grow. Three years ago we had a vision to create more opportunities for students to direct their own learning and think outside the box. Over the last 3 years, the Makerspace time has become one of the favorite parts of the students days. Their weekly classes consist of teacher challenges that allow students to take ownership in their learning, nurture creativity, and problem solve. We have seen that the students have grown in their abilities to problem solve, evaluate, and engage in productive debates. It has allowed students a safe place to fail. Students are learning that failing at something and having to reevaluate and reconstruct are parts of the learning process. They are consistently trying to make things better rather than being satisfied with just having a project done.

Kelly Bray

Elementary Principal, Bosqueville ISD

Introduction

My best teachers were not the ones who knew all the answers, but those who were deeply excited by questions they couldnt answer.

Brian Greene

Through Makerspaces, project-based learning provides opportunities for credible, legitimate, and authentic growth and development. This book will allow any educator to walk away with a plan to create a Makerspace in his or her classroom or a school- or districtwide model that works for many. Makerspaces are very fluid placeseach is unique in its own way!

This book is organized by months to help you ease into creating a Makerspace. For organization purposes, we will start in August for . Targets are given for each month as well as Planning Pages and Reflections, so you can record your thoughts and start planning about what you have learned and want to implement. Target goals are reviewed at the end of each chapter in these planning pages.

The goal is for you to start easy and ease into creating your Makerspace. This should be a fun journey. In August and September, youll get your bearings and define what a Makerspace is to you and why it will be beneficial for your students. Youll also explore research about the importance of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) education, and be introduced to a problem-solving process that will guide you and your students through each Makerspace challenge or activity. By October, you will be implementing your Wonder Wall and begin to have a good grasp on how your Makerspace will look and be managed. By November, you will be implementing some simple, yet planned, purposeful, and playful activities into your Makerspace. If you are not starting in August, no problem. Just start with Chapter 1 and take it one chapter/month at a time. I know you are busy and overwhelmed with all of the other aspects of teaching. I have been very intentional in making sure you can accomplish every target, reflection, and activity given in each chapter within the month. If you feel like moving more quickly through the chapters, thats great, too.

CHAPTER 1: AUGUST

What Is a Makerspace?

[A] space where kids have the opportunity to makea place where some tools, materials, and enough expertise can get them started. These places, called makerspaces, share some aspects of the shop class, home economics class, the art studio, and science labs. In effect, a makerspace is a physical mash-up of different places that allows makers and projects to integrate these different kinds of skills.

Dale Dougherty, Design, Make, Play, 2013

TARGETS FOR AUGUST

Define what a Makerspace is and what the word means to you, your campus, administration, and/or any other stakeholders. No two Makerspaces are the same.

Brainstorm ways your Makerspace can help you cover state and local mandated standards.

You might be thinking, What in the world is a Makerspace? What does this word even mean? Will this space even help me cover state/locally mandated standards? Creating a Makerspace can be extremely intimidating. I have done itand it can be scary. In general, Makerspaces and making are subjects that people do not know a lot about or have not experienced before. But we can do this. We have to do this for our students. We have to change the way we provide enrichment and innovation to prepare our students for more. Our students will be competing for jobs that dont even exist yet, and we have to prepare them to be ready for this challenge.