- Harron & Hughes (2018) found 6 major purposes for makerspaces: making school more meaningful and relevant, preparing students for the future, creating an inclusive environment, development student capacity for failure, showing the school campus, and helping students become creators instead of consumers.
- Makerspaces provide a space for students to engage in “making or creating” something that is fueled by their own interests and academic level.
- Makerspaces have 3 essential elements: the makers (the students), the makerspace (the physical space and the tools, materials, and technology being used) and the making itself (students who are designing, creating, building, and tinkering).
- For schools that cannot afford a STEM/STEAM program, a makerspace provides opportunities to access STEM/STEAM activities and learning to students from low socio-economic backgrounds or minority groups. In addition, female students, who are sometimes underrepresented in STEM education, will be encouraged to take part in STEM activities.
- In order for schools to implement effective makerspace programs, schools must shift their approach from viewing learning as a “test focused environment” because it limits students' abilities. Instead, a makerspace offers an opportunity for students to be creative and take risks without the pressure of “failing” or being held to a certain standard.
- Makerspaces result in student creators who are proficient at working with their hands, manipulating objects, and figuring out how things work, either independently or collaboratively.
- According to The Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession from on the OCT website, it states that the ethical standards for the teaching profession are based on “care” and “respect”. Makerspaces reflect these ethical standards because it allows students to engage in student-centred activities that they care about and provides students with opportunities to take risks in a safe environment. This promotes students' well-being and allows them to have positive learning experiments. It also shows students that their interests and creations are respected and that they are cared for and valued as learners.
- The relationship between a Teacher-librarian and students in a makerspace should be a collaborative interaction where the TL guides students and asks open-ended questions to extend their thinking, as opposed to a relationship that is authoritative in nature.
What does a makerspace look like?
- A makerspace environment does not only rely on tools. Instead, the space should project an “attitude” that students view as a place of curiosity, wonder, playfulness, and collaboration where investigative solutions are celebrated and failures are valued as learning opportunities.
- The SLLC should display sample projects and plan scheduled maker events to attract students to this environment and to see the appeal and excitement in becoming “makers”.
- The set-up of programs in the library varies between highly structured activities that have predictable results, to loosely guided work stations, and to fully independent investigations (self-directed).
- Makerspaces need to offer simple activities for first-timers or younger students and opportunities for older and more experienced students to take on more independent explorations.
- Equipment that should be included varies and includes both low and high tech items. Some of these common items seen in makerspaces include craft supplies (pipe cleaners, straws, tape, and cardboard), office supplies, 3D printers, hand tools, construction sets, recycled objects, robots, LEGO bricks, laser cutters, and CNC machines.
- When creating a makerspace one must make sure to “organize a space that is conducive to innovation, imagination and design, one that flows freely between concept and execution.” (edventures, n.d.).
