Making, Maker Centred Learning and STEAM fit neatly alongside Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) for many schools. Commonly this approach includes a constructivist view of knowledge and teachers seek to establish conditions which allow students to explore questions and ideas with greater independence than may occur in the traditional classroom. Learning becomes a collaborative partnership between teachers and students with a clear focus on a learner centric approach.
There is growing interest from schools in the Maker Movement and Maker Education but with this have come some subtle misunderstandings about what it is all about. For one the modern maker movement is all about the mindset of the maker rather than developing a set of specific skills for making. The second confusion stems from a belief that the maker movement is all about the tools and the makerspace and that as such it involves large budgets.
"For kid makers, having a dedicated space to work on projects can be pretty wonderful, and it just might help them create more than they ever imagined. A workspace doesn't need to be huge -- a small workbench that is efficient, compact and flexible in its use and storage can fit almost anywhere. Here are some tips on how to design and set up a mini maker space made just for your kids."
According to the National Center for Education Statistics in 2003, geometry was one area of weakness among American students.
Origami has been found to strengthen an understanding of geometric concepts, formulas, and labels, making them come alive.
Thinking Skills
Origami excites other modalities of learning. It has been shown to improve spatial visualization skills using hands-on learning.
Fractions
Folding paper can demonstrate the fractions in a tactile way.
Problem Solving
Often in assignments, there is one set answer and one way to get there. Origami provides children an opportunity to solve something that isn't prescribed and gives them a chance to make friends with failure (i.e. trial and error).
Origami is a fun way to explain physics concepts. A thin piece of paper is not very strong, but if you fold it like an accordion it will be.
Researchers have found that students who use origami in math perform better.
STEAM
While schools are still catching up to the idea of origami as a STEAM engine (the merging of these disciplines), origami is already being used to solve tough problems in technology.
Additionally, the National Science Foundation, one of the government's largest funding agencies, has supported a few programs that link engineers with artists to use origami in designs. The ideas range from medical forceps to foldable plastic solar panels.
Origami, the ancient art of paper folding, has applications in the modern-day classroom for teaching geometry, thinking skills, fractions, problem solving, and fun science.