Developing a Classroom Makerspace

KEY POINTS

• Determine the space’s purpose and goals.
• Find the perfect spot and design.
• Buy needed materials.
• Begin implementing your makerspace.

Incorporating STEM into the classroom may start with a lecture or lab activity, but collaboration and innovation among students outside of the standard lesson structure is also important when offering a well-rounded STEM experience. That’s where makerspaces come in. Makerspaces are workspaces where students can create and explore technology, individually or as a team, and expand upon what they learned in the classroom. In this way, developing a classroom makerspace offers students a creative place to build upon their STEM knowledge and skills.

KNOW THE SPACE’S PURPOSE

Makerspaces are typically centered around a specific subject or set of skills. Because of this, it is important to define the purpose of your makerspace before moving forward. Carefully consider what specific STEM subjects you want students to focus on and the level of freedom you want your students to have. One option is to maximize student freedom, leaving it up to the student to define the problem that they will be attempting to solve and the form that their solution will take. Another option would be to explicitly define the parameters of a project, grounding student experience in curriculum and actively guiding students toward the solution you want them to reach. The amount of collaboration between students is also something to consider, as the more students will be collaborating, the more space you will need.

VISUALIZE THE SPACE

Once you have defined the purpose of your space, you can move forward with the design process. First, ensure that your planned makerspace is large enough to incorporate the technologies and equipment you want to incorporate into your space. Next, be sure that your makerspace is outfitted with enough tablespace, electrical outlets, and computers to make activities run smoothly. Additionally, consider the number of students that your makerspace can handle at one time. This decision could affect the layout and density of resources in your makerspace.

PUT YOUR MAKERSPACE INTO ACTION

Once all equipment is in place and your makerspace is set up, students can begin designing and creating their STEM projects. Makerspaces often center around students engaging in the engineering design process as they brainstorm ideas, develop prototypes, and evaluate solutions. Your makerspace will provide students with creative opportunities in class, all while allowing them to further develop skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration. As you put these techniques into practice, students will be greeted with the opportunity to bring their ideas to life as they create, innovate, and demonstrate solutions to real-world problems.

— Dr. Jake Roark