From September 2015 until December 2015, I was a substitute for the Technology Integration Specialist at the International School of Dakar. During this time, I helped research and set up the MakerSpace.
I created an introductory letter for our teachers to begin their involvement in the space. Below is the letter, which includes links to ideas on how to use the space, and ideas on how to incorporate the use of the space into their existing curriculum.
Why use the Makerspace?
“The maker movement in education is built upon the foundation of constructionism, which is the philosophy of hands-on learning through building things” (Kurti, Kurti & Fleming, 2014)
- “Constructionism” is an application of constructivist learning principles
- The primary objective of the teacher in the case of Maker Education is to facilitate the acquisition of concepts by building a specific project
- Encouraging deep questioning during construction is a crucial component of Maker Education
- Innovation naturally arises from students being challenged to find a solution to a particular problem
- One of the most important considerations in the educational makerspace environment is how to invite curiosity
“There is no right or wrong way to use a Makerspace. From simple craft projects that allow students to explore their creativity, to advanced electronics, it can all happen in a Makerspace.” (MakerSpaces Australia)
MakerSpaces can be used to build from set instructions, build from own designs, or build based on a loose idea from someone else. The students can have restrictions on their materials, or no restrictions at all. Students should be encouraged to ask questions and solve problems that can be extended beyond the classroom walls.
How to incorporate the Makerspace into your curriculum?
The Elementary school examples below can (and probably should) be modified to meet the needs of your classroom. Ideally, students should be coming up with their own designs as often as possible to create something new, or to redesign something existing in a new way.
Master List of Ideas for the MakerSpace: Click to view and add!
| Grade Level | Example Curricular Component | MakerSpace project idea |
| Grade 1 | Insects unit | The “create an insect” project can be modified so the students design an insect that has regular or modified insect components to live in a certain environment, or eat a certain type of food, or survive a certain challenge, etc. |
| Grade 2 | Geography unit | Have students design and build a model of their own city, state, or country. Problematize it by saying that students must design their layout to maximize access to water, or give students limiting factors such as space, resources, tools, etc. |
| Grade 3 | Musical Matters | Have students design and build a one-person musical instrument/band set that makes various sounds. Use as a launching pad to discuss the Essential Questions (How can I make music? Who can make music? Why do people make music? Why do people write down music? How can music be written?) |
| Grade 4 | Electricity | Have students Design and build a mini robot that accomplishes a task: eg. make a robot that draws a picture (coffee bot) (candy tin robot) (toothbrush robots) or Design and create Design wearable circuits (eg. a light up or flickering broach or a wearable safety device) or design and create an LED paper flower or greeting cards |
| Grade 5 | Science Club | Students can make their own Rube Goldberg machines to explore the scientific process and scientific inquiry |
| Grade 6 | Social Studies | While learning about the importance of irrigation in ancient civilizations, students can research modern day irrigation systems, and try to design and build an irrigation system that will water continuously for 3 days. |
| Grade 7 | Language Arts | Students can design and build marketing displays for their stories, or design and sew/make t-shirts that reflect the stories they have written |
| Grade 9 | Math Radicals | Students can design/build a game board about what they have learned in the previous radicals unit.
(Example board game, Totally Radical, can be viewed and improved upon, or students can create and design their own game depending on ability) |
| Grade 10 | Grade 10, Human geography of the Middle East | Topographical Tapigami: Historical maps of Israel/Palestine (independence, modern, settlements, topography) |
These are only a few potential examples. There are many many many more ways you can use the MakerSpace to create, explore, discover, and build. If you use the space, don’t forget to include it in our Makerspace Classroom experiences page!
To help with the use of the space, I created grade-dependent safety protocols (Elementary, Middle, High) and a list of recommended tool use per grade. I used the Makerspace quite a bit with my classes after that, as can be seen from the Irrigation project and Solar Lamps to name a couple.
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