134 OTT- What is Makerspace and Why Does It Matter in the Classroom?

OTT 134 What is Makerspace and Why Does It Matter in the Classroom?

Most Makerspaces are spaces where kids can investigate, tinker, discover, create, and build. And yes, they can be anything and anywhere. They don't just have to be in a special space in your school like a media center or a Makerspace room. Often Makerspace is tied to things like STEM, but it doesn't have to be limited to just these subjects. It can exist to deepen the experience with literature, practice soft skills, and even focus on social and emotional learning. (You can catch my session on SEL with Makerspace at the Whole Teacher Eclecticdon. 

Whole Teacher EclecticCon 2021

No matter the objective Makerspace can be a space in your classroom, in a closet, in a tub, on the playground, or even on a cart with the goal that kids can explore creativity through engaging activities. The best part of creating a Makerspace in your own classroom is you can customize your space to cater to the specific needs of your students, their age range, and their interests, or even based on the standards you need to cover.

Makerspaces matter in our classrooms because they allow students to hone in on their own unique strengths and interests to practice valuable future-ready workforce skills such as cooperation, collaboration, empathy, determination, perseverance, and more. These are vital skills for the future, and we need to help students practice these skills.

Ultimately, unstructured learning leads to the pursuit and strengthening of important skill sets, including critical thinking, creative problem solving, self-motivation, and even SEL skills, such as productive struggle and managing failure.

Makerspace engages today’s students in a way that few traditional classroom experiences allow. For teachers, creating and promoting these spaces ensures that their learners are truly prepared to explore, ask questions, collaborate with others, and ultimately solve the challenges they will meet when they leave these schools.

So what do you think? Do your students have a makerspace in their future?

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

OTT Episode 133

Whole Teacher EclecticCon 2021

To hear more about why every classroom needs a makerspace, come join my free Masterclass- Every Classroom Needs a Makerspace: 5 Fundamentals to Getting Started. 

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