Design Thinking and Maker Spaces
There is no doubt about it, the world is changing. New technology is being introduced rapidly which transforms the way we live, collaborate, and SHOULD transform the way we teach. But what sets our students apart from the technologies that are developing along with them? Complex problem solving skills!
I recently watched an edWeb webinar on Design Thinking and Marker Spaces (the link to view this webinar will be available at the end of this post). In this webinar the speakers highlighted that in both 2015 and as projected for 2020, complex problem solving is the top desired skill of future jobs. Critical job related tasks include working with new information and solving unstructured problems. As teachers, we need to make sure we are preparing our students for the future job field (yes, even in primary grades). Design thinking and Maker Spaces are unique and effective strategies that can be used to do this.
Design Thinking
The design process takes students on a journey to harness creative thinking in order to meet a need. It engages creativity, critical thinking, and even emotional intelligence in a way that challenges students and teachers alike to make learning meaningful.
Teachers can transform their curriculum and learning activities to follow this model, making projects more open ended and engaging.
During my time student teaching I was able to teach lessons from a Project lead the Way science unit. This unit focuses on the design process and uses design based projects to integrate science knowledge to solve a problem.
The unit I taught was about the sun, moon, and stars. We talked about how the sun moves and provides light, but with this light also comes harmful UV rays. At the beginning of the lesson a story about three friends that were too hot on their unshaded playground was introduced. After learning and discovering more about the sun, the students were challenged to DESIGN a way to solve the characters' problem using craft items. After they drew out their design they built prototypes and tested them.
To view my lessons from this unit click HERE.
To learn more about Project Lead the Way science go to pltw.org
Maker Space
While working on these projects, the students in my internship class used a variety of materials like yardstick, clay, pipe cleaners, and foil. Setting up the materials for student use and managing them was a challenge. This edWeb webinar introduced the concept of Maker Spaces. A maker space would have been an excellent addition to the first grade classroom I was in. Maker Spaces can most easily be defined as a space where design thinking can happen in a creative way in which the learning adds value to the student. Maker spaces has a space for students to work and provides tools as well.
Check out this short video that defines Maker Spaces:
Maker Spaces are being implemented in classrooms and libraries all over the US as a way to start developing our students as design thinkers and problem solvers.
Maker Space movement is tied closely with a new push for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) in education today. However, teachers are not limited by incorporating makers spaces in ONLY these areas! Maker space and design thinking challenges can by cross-curricular, beginning with topics in english and history, then transforming to meet science and technology standards. In fact, even researching a topic is part of the empathy stage of design and can take place on computers in a Maker space!
Check out these websites for great Maker Space lesson resources:
Makey Makey- http://makeymakey.com/lessons/
In Literacy- https://medium.com/reading-writing-in-a-digital-world/makerspaces-in-literacy-85328f7d38c5
Lastly, how do you start? In order to start a maker space it is important to first consider, not the physical space, but how you will incorporate it into your curriculum! Make room in your curriculum for these activities first and foremost. Then remember, you don't have to have tons of supplies or money to start. Some challenges can be completed using index cards and tape. As you get funds and resources allocate some of them towards your maker space to eventually expand the amount of tools included. Here is a video with some advice on how to get started from a student himself:
To learn more, be sure to check out the edWeb webinar linked below! Feel free to share any ideas you have tried in your classroom or pictures of your own Maker Space!
