Empowering Students Through Makerspaces: How to Create a Space that Amplifies Student Voice
Our makerspaces can be more than just a place in our libraries to build and create – they can be spaces that empower our students and amplify student voice. Learn how to utilize strategies such as open exploration time, flexible design challenges, and classroom collaborations as a way to give students opportunities to express themselves and explore their interests in your makerspace. We’ll talk about social emotional learning, accessibility and ways to tap into student interests in our spaces. Make your makerspace an engaging and vital part of your library by creating space for your students to take the lead.
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Resources
Challenge Based Learning in the School Library Makerspace
My book that I co-wrote along with Colleen and Aaron Graves. Much of this presentation is based off of the content of this book, so if you find this presentation valuable, you’ll probably like the book too.
In this book, we go into depth about how to create a maker culture within your school, develop an interactive learning space and more. We discuss the logistics of hosting maker workshops, creating design challenge prompts and documenting the learning process.
Tampa Prep IDEAlab and Makerspace:
- Starting a Makerspace from Scratch: Introducing the IDEAlab and Makerspace
- COVID Library Update: Our Makerspace in the Time of COVID
- How to Manage Your Makerspace During a Pandemic (Demco)
Maker Days themes
- Cardboard Challenge Tips Part 1: The Tools
- Cardboard Challenge Tips Part 2: More Tips and Tricks
- How to Teach an Intro to 3D Printing Class
- How to Teach a Paper Circuit Workshop
Best Practices for Makerspaces
- Defining Makerspaces: What the Research Says
- How to Choose Books to Support Your Makerspace
- Open Exploration in a Makerspace: What it is and Why We Need it
- Open Exploration in a Makerspace: Best Practices
- How to Create Makerspace Organization that Actually Works
Design Challenges at Stewart Middle Magnet School (my previous school):
- A Student Designed Maker Cart (School Library Journal)
- How to Run a Rubber Band Launcher Challenge
- Stewart Cardboard Challenge
- The Stewart-Lamar Catapult Challenge
- The 2015 Cardboard Challenges
- K’nex Club and Digital Learning Day
- K’nex Club: Making Models of Real Places
Curriculum Connections:
- Science + Makerspace: Lab Safety Device Challenge
- Science + Makerspace: Earthquake Structure Design Challenge
- Teaching the Design Process in Makerspaces
- Written Conversation Strategies and MakerEd