In 2020, the report said, “The top skills and skill groups which employers see as rising in prominence in the lead up to 2025 include groups such as critical thinking and analysis as well as problem-solving, and skills in self-management such as active learning, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility.”* Employers know they can teach the technology skills they need, it is the soft skills that are hard to impart. How can educators help students learn these skills? Consider one trend in education that teaches many of these skills, makerspaces.
A makerspace, also known as fab labs, idea labs or hackerspaces, is a dedicated space for creating. Makerspaces encourage design thinking which involves planning, implementing, evaluating and trying again. Makers learn to experiment rather than regurgitate information. They discover that failure leads to learning, not bad grades. Makerspaces can use everyday objects or specialized technology. According to makerspace expert, John Spencer, students who are makers need to use “ …iterative thinking, creative thinking, critical thinking, they need to know how to pivot, how to change, how to revise, how to persevere. They need to solve complex problems. They need to think divergently.” **
Makerspaces have the potential to help students prepare for the future. And makerspaces can be utilized by our youngest and oldest students. But what are they exactly? How do they work? How do they connect to the curriculum? What kinds of creating happens there? How much space is needed? Makerspace is more of a mindset than a formula. Check out this collection to see how and why different educators have used makerspaces in their teaching.
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Design Thinking. Testimonies and examples. Creating the space. Project ideas. Apps for Making. Books.