Teacher perspective
What inspired you to create a Makerspace?
- the idea of society discarding objects rather than fixing or upcycling them
- the desire to have learners as fixers and creative makers.
What are the benefits to learners?
- regaining lost skills in a modern context
- problem-solving skills with the responsibility being on individuals
- learning design processes
- collaboration and relationship building.
How did you get the Makerspace up and running?
- support from school leadership
- built on passions of teachers – tinkering rally driver and environmentalist
- put resources together of books to inspire children to take risks and develop language around Makerspace
- collected free materials to start making
- engaged support of parents and friends association to fundraise for some of the additional technology.
What are the challenges of running a Makerspace?
- time – finding time to run a Makerspace as an extra-curricular activity
- time in a crowded curriculum – important to cover curriculum outcomes
- the freedom and learner ownership needs time.
What would you do differently in setting up a Makerspace?
- not much – introduce the language of making and provide resources
- able to expose learners to tools and ideas through guided learning
- worked slowly, without spending a lot of money, to allow the Makerspace to grow organically.
Are there unexpected benefits elsewhere in school?
- flowed over to other areas of the curriculum
- teachers have engaged and brought maker ideas into their classes – prep teachers and learners inspired to make themselves.
What is the future for your Makerspace?
- planning a maker faire to reinvigorate Book Week
- putting in more formal time before and after school.