The Intersection of Asking Questions and Making Solutions:
As a former science teacher, now turned librarian, I often find sneaky ways to slip in science concepts under the guise of introducing non-fiction. I have this unending desire to talk about the world around us and am often drawn to getting my students excited about clouds rather than fanciful literature.
A MakerSpace appeals to me on a number of levels including:
- Giving students a chance to think, create, test and re-design
- Allowing kinesthetic learners the opportunity to learn in a way they are comfortable with
- Setting the stage for productive and effective collaboration.
There are 2 blogs that I have found that have a particular emphasis on science and MakerSpaces. The first is iMakeiLearn by Discovery Education. It can be accessed HERE. This blog breaks down the process of MakerSpaces into: The Why, The What, The How, The Now and shares strategies for motivating students as well as getting started in the MakerSpace world. 
The next blog by Laura Fleming is entitled Worlds of Learning and discusses the concept of the Next Generation Science Standards and MakerSpaces. The blog, accessed HERE The author states that the NGSS are based on 3 dimensions.
- Science and Engineering Practices (SEP): Consists of behavior scientists and engineers engage in; experts design and develop models to design and test abstract phenomena.
- Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs): Describe core ideas in the science disciplines. These are grouped into 4 domains: the life sciences, the physical sciences; the earth & space sciences; the engineering & technology applications of science.
- Crosscutting Concepts (CCC): concepts linking the different domains of science.
By integrating the NGSS standards and using them to inform your MakerSpace creation and administration, the teacher librarian can expose the students to a world of possibility and making.
Katherine, I also found Laura Fleming to be a resource, and you might be interested to know that she has authored a book (available on Amazon here https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Making-Practices-Establishing-Makerspace/dp/1483382826) that looks to be an invaluable tool for setting up a makerspace (a daunting task, for sure). Your students are so fortunate to have a librarian who is a scientist as well, as I am sure that they will benefit from the intersection of exploration, investigation and literacy that your scientific mind hosts!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the iMake, iLearn resources. Providing the rationale for makerspaces is a huge part of successfully implementing maker spaces. For example, I find that the CD and Kindergarten teacher aides who come to the library with their students often shush the kids and tell them that's not how they act in a school library. But, makerspaces ARE loud. Providing staff members with the rationale for makerspaces helps integrate new library practices and shed old library beliefs and habits. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThe "loud" factor does make me a little hesitant when it comes to makerspaces. In my school's library, there are three offices where teachers pull small groups of students. I feel we have to keep our voice levels low out of respect for their learning environment, so I haven't quite figured out how to get around the fact that students working together in a makerspace are not going to want to whisper.
ReplyDeleteI too am a lover of science. I also believe that the person doing the talking is the person doing the learning, so it is super important in the makerspace area for the students to collaborate with each other. I appreciate how makerspaces are changing the idea of what a library should look like.
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