Making an Educational Makerspace

	Making an Educational Makerspace: Part 1 – The Philosophy of Educational Makerspaces. [PDF] “No makerspace survives and thrives without a supportive environment.” Editor’s Note: This article, reprinted from the June 2014 issue of Teacher Librarian: The Journal for School Library Professionals, is a thoughtful and insightful examination of the philosophy and pedagogical underpinnings of the maker movement. The authors’ analysis and argument are strong, and the benefits they tout are inspiring. The authors will follow up with two more articles on the maker movement which will be published in the next two issues of Teacher Librarian.

	Making an Educational Makerspace: Part 2 – The Environment and Tools of Great Educational Makerspaces. [PDF] “When choosing tools for an educational makerspace, begin by considering the purpose of the space. This idea appears obvious, yet it is anything but obvious.” Editor’s Note: This article, reprinted from the October 2014 issue of Teacher Librarian: The Journal for School Library Professionals, is the second in a series of three articles which provides a thoughtful and insightful examination of the philosophy and pedagogical underpinnings of the maker movement, as well as expert guidance on how to establish a program. The third article in the series will be published in the December edition of TL and on this website.

	Making an Educational Makerspace: Part 3 – Practical Implementation of an Educational Makerspaces. [PDF] “Even though the map to educational makerspace success remains vague, pioneers in the field are pushing forward and reporting their findings.” A culture of innovation in an educational makerspace arises from student ownership rather than from the presence of high-tech tools. Owning the learning experience opens unexplored horizons to students because independent thinkers have the uncanny ability to strike out into uncharted territory. Educational makerspaces are the ideal environment to foster such independent exploration, but the map for creating engaging educational makerspaces remains relatively sparse. Even though the map to educational makerspace success remains vague, pioneers in the field are pushing forward and reporting their findings. The first installment of this three-part series discussed the philosophy of educational makerspaces. The second installment explored the look and feel of the physical space and the selection of tools to inspire tinkering, creating, and inventing. This final part of the series exposes a real-life case study of a makerspace in an average school in an average district, with results that are anything but average.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply