Working on makerspace learning with @mrsg_153 and company. @brewsterschools #BrewsterSCP pic.twitter.com/FyyYAmsx5Z
— Marcus Eure (@sisypheanhigh) March 6, 2019
As part of the conference day that led to that tweet, I’m polishing my one-sentence definition of makerspaces:
Makerspaces emphasize iterative, process-based learning that is
- built around a common language for that process;
- focused on collaboration; and
- supported by expert feedback.
That unpacks, of course, into a lot more material. There is an FAQ on makerspaces, a recent clarification of grade abatement, tons of student insight into how the space connects to ELA and SCP standards, and more, all available through the website.
The rest of this post explores how the ELA framework and standards work in our space. What follows is adapted, in fact, from the general course syllabus and this Google Site.
What Is a Makerspace?
“Makerspace” is not the only term for this kind of work, and in the real world, the name is relatively unimportant Names are always relevant, of course, because they help us set the agenda for the work we do. The point is that folks solving problems in the real world will be less concerned with the name of the space and more concerned with the work itself. The work is what matters.
This clip from Apollo 13 showcases makerspace problem-solving:
What you have there is a group of like-minded and similarly trained folks who must confront a real-world problem. To solve it, they gather all the tools and resources they need, and then they collaborate on a solution.
In this particular example, NASA engineers pour out a box of mechanical components and use their expertise and creativity to “invent a way to put a square peg in a round hole.” As in most makerspaces, academic or otherwise, the components are physical — gears, electronics, plastic, etc. Even when the components are something as small as DNA, they are still physical.
That’s why hacking DNA (to create cow-less milk; read the Wired article hyperlinked in the previous paragraph) requires the same kind of makerspace thinking needed to save stranded astronauts. These examples also fit the usual acronym attached to makerspaces in education: STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math).
English doesn’t often get a seat at the table, perhaps because its components are more abstract. Literature and writing aren’t considered to have the same modular, experimental elements, at least in a general sense, and the history of makerspaces, hackerspaces, fab labs, etc., is very much about the STEM and STEAM disciplines.
But a makerspace can be an excellent way of reading, writing, and exploring the Humanities. That’s because all makerspaces must answer the same two questions:
- What important, real-world problems are we solving?
- What components and tools do we need to solve those problems?
These are the same questions answered by scientists, engineers, and so on. What’s interesting is how universal the questions become when applied to an English classroom. What is more universal than being human? In fact, the authentic problems students face in an English classroom are the problems all of us face. They are the questions that we answer through reading, writing, and thinking:
What does it mean to be a human being?
What does it mean to coexist in a society?
What are my beliefs?
How do I want to live my life?
Like all classrooms, an English classroom is where students also experiment with and learn to use so-called “soft” skills. A makerspace approach simply makes that work more explicit. Skills and traits like self-awareness, self-efficacy, and collegiality are components for solving problems like these:
What does it mean to be educated?
What is the purpose of school?
How does each of us learn best?
What are the most important skills and traits for our futures?
In a Humanities makerspace, we experiment to find solutions to these problems and answer these questions. We collaborate, ask experts, do research. We try to think outside the box. We dismantle the box to build a better one, when necessary.
So the tools and components we pour out on the table in English are
- a set of universal skills and traits;
- our connections to other human beings; and
- the literature and nonfiction that best teaches us how to be human.
Makerspace Building Blocks
The rest of this post explores the specifics of writing, reading, and thinking in the space, since those are the primary tools and resources used to solve problems in the Humanities. It’s critical, though, to understand the building blocks of this kind of learning:
Makerspace Writing
Writing is the fundamental creative act of a Humanities makerspace. it is driven by essential questions (like these), central texts (like this), prescribed prompts (like these), and much more.
We use a writing process built from the ground up to emulate college-level writing workshops and STEAM makerspaces. We focus on component understanding, modular experimentation, and constant metacognition.
Importantly, as the FAQ emphasizes, the makerspace applies this process to the same grade-level and course-specific prompts done by non-makerspace classrooms. We hit the same targets, from MLA-formatted research papers to college essays.
Below is a direct link to this writing process, followed by an instructional essay that explores the importance of writing, the history of makerspace-inspired writing guides, and the need for a different kind of assessment.
DIRECT LINK: THE WRITING PROCESS: V4 (2019)
Makerspace Reading
Reading in a makerspace is an intricate, flexible process that emphasizes student choice while adhering to grade-level and course-specific text requirements. We cover the skills of literary analysis, including test-driven terminology prep; close reading, both with fiction and nonfiction; and and the balanced study of contemporary and canonical essays and novels.
You can see what I mean in these posts:
We usually start with this video:
As that suggests, literature is one of the many tools available to people in the real world, and it is easily the most powerful tool we can use to develop empathy and expand our life experiences. In our makerspace, it’s a tool connected to all the rest. It’s one of the components we pour out on the table, so to speak, when we need to answer the most important questions.
It’s not the particular book that matters, as a result; it’s how that book is read. We stress choice. We use essential questions to drive those choices. We still tackle the canonical requirements, from American short fiction to Shakespeare, but often allow students to branch out in order to invest fully in the reading process.
Above all else, we are focused on the component experiences that make students lifelong readers, not children who hate reading. To see a 2019 attempt at developing this habit, look here:
Makerspace Thinking
Metacognition is the key to the thinking in our space. The most important thing students learn is always something about how they learn, and a makerspace embraces that. Many of the most powerful lessons come from this, and the skills associated with thinking are universally important.
That’s why we have a daily check-in form, for instance, that invites mindfulness and clear goal-setting. We also spend substantial time on the habits of in-class focus and feedback, which is how the space can let students individualize many assignments.
The content still matters! This is critical: The content, assured experiences, etc., are still approached with fidelity. The makerspace prepares for tests, gives quizzes, studies literary devices, and hits however many pieces of canonical literature we need to. Consider this reading calendar from 2018-2019.
Makerspace Instruction
Here is an essay on how technology shifts instruction in a makerspace:
There are many others that grapple with “interstitial” teaching, but that one best covers the philosophy behind the shift. Technology is a tool for learning, and it can become part of a lifelong habit of reading and writing. Consider one of the flipped lessons used to start a discussion about reading in a makerspace:
That post discusses hyperlinks, responsiveness, and the freedom students have to engage with different levels of instruction. It is about turning the Internet into a tool for the Humanities and a resource for student growth.
Makerspace Assessment
Finally, there is how a makerspace treats assessment as a tool. This is covered in the post on building blocks, as well as many other posts on this site. Student feedback on the process is especially helpful.
The use of grade abatement allows us to give embedded, individualized feedback; teach 21st century skills in context; encourage risk-taking; and avoid grade obsession, gamesmanship, and the hit to self-esteem and self-efficacy caused by traditional grades.
The process is modular and responsive. It works for all grade and ability levels, because it makes universal skills and traits clear, discrete, and actionable. It enables a better form of feedback. Here is the process in full:
But it is just as helpful to see posts that clarify grade abatement in the context of makerspace problem-solving: