With growing interest in the DIY and Maker Movement in schools, as educators we seem to keep coming back to this big question: How do we foster our students to become Makers?

While having the physical conditions and tools for a Maker Space is important, it’s not nearly as critical as developing students’ mindsets for Making. For starters, let’s focus on helping students develop the skills and demeanors that will set them up for success when a small tool , building materials, or complex motor is placed in front of them.   Here are a few teaching strategies to help you think about ways to engage students in deeper learning through the vehicle of Making:

Mild option 

1. Build those critical thinking muscles by analyzing expert Makers. Through various mediums, show students how real-life people today (and in history) are blazing the trail for Making. Check out this little gal for some great stuff! Engage in discussion about what makes these Makers successful, and what types of demeanors and skills they exhibit. Have students refer back to these and reflect upon where they measure up or goals for moving forward as a Maker.
2. Inspire curiosity for how things work and are made. You can do this by bringing in engaging examples of inventions for students, and connecting them to your content area. Model for students how to ask questions about how these things work, perhaps consider using some Visible Thinking Routines to help students get used to this line of thinking. Developing this curiosity is foundational to inquiry-based learning and will give students the stamina to continue engaging in hands-on making challenges.
3. Build in time for students to play and tinker. Don’t stress about making a grand Maker Space in your classroom-just give kids the chance to explore the basic building blocks at first. For younger students this could mean using basic building materials like legos or blocks to show an idea you are learning about, or experiment with a building theory. For older students it could be a reverse engineering challenge with a donated screwdriver and household appliance, like a toaster.

Medium Option 

1. Consider integrating Making into a genius hour/google hour/ 20% time into your week. This resource provides a good overview. During this time students have the opportunity to explore something they are really passionate about.  Perhaps ask students to Make a final product that displays what they have learned as a result of this time.
2. Collaboratively develop your own definitions and demeanors of a Maker for students to frequently reflect. Check out Urban Assembly Maker Academy’s hand at defining these traits. And maybe cross reference Hewlett’s Deeper Learning Competencies with your list.

Spicy Option 

1. Challenge yourself to facilitate a design thinking project that asks students to Make a prototype to solve some sort of problem in the real-world. Whip out those Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and collaborate with an engineering partner on this one!

 

 

This is such an exciting time in education and the Maker movement contributes to this excitement as it offers us an engaging way to teach students complex thinking.  If wrapping your mind around Making is overwhelming or you feel like you don’t have the resources to fit the mold of a Maker Space,  don’t be intimidated by it all-just start building and they will come!