Makerspace

The reflective practitioner allows himself to experience surprise, puzzlement, or confusion in a situation which he finds uncertain or unique.

Learning from direct experience can be more effective if coupled with reflection-that is, the intentional attempt to synthesize, abstract, and articulate the key lessons taught by experience. Reflecting on what has been learned makes experience more productive. Reflection builds one’s confidence in the ability to achieve a goal (i.e., self-efficacy), which in turn translates into higher rates of learning

If making is to go beyond something that is just fun to do while doing it, then reflection can and should be used to help insure that the knowledge, skills, dispositions, attitudes, and values learned through individual making sessions are transferred to other settings.

2. Find the Money

One of the things that we didn't want to do was buy tons of tools for the students and tell them, "Do something with these."

3. Find the Tools

crowdfunding

students just need to be given the space to be creative, and amazing things will happen.

4. Find the Students

Promoting the creativity aspect will make a difference. A makerspace is a great place to get away from the standardized testing and try something new and exciting.

We need to encourage STEAM across the board for all students, and makerspaces can be an ideal entryway for students who might not be natural to these fields of study.

Makerspaces can be the spot that encourages a whole new generation of creative minds to explore and solve the big problems. It gives students a chance to see what they can do when they aren't limited by four multiple choice answers. Creativity is a valuable resource -- and a makerspace is the perfect tool to enhance and harness it.

The problem is the idea that the alternative to making is usually not doing nothing

what I do (teaching) for what I’m actually trying to help elicit (learning)

Or, worse, if you say that I "make" other people, you are diminishing their agency and role in sense-making, as if their learning is something I do to them.

there's still this stigma that feels like it attaches to those-who-don’t-make

Rather, I want to see us recognize the work of the educators, those that analyze and characterize and critique, everyone who fixes things, all the other people who do valuable work with and for others—above all, the caregivers—whose work isn’t about something you can put in a box and sell.