Making Space for Making

Kudos to Surrey for

I was recently able to present at the BC ERAC IL4K12 conference. I shared on Maker Spaces. The resources from that presentation are located here

Before the ministry and district cutbacks eliminated my district position, we were well underway with Maker May as the spark to ignite Making in Surrey. Unfortunately Job Action reduced the ability to maximize that opportunity; however, many teachers still explored the mini maker kits in their classrooms, over the summer and this school year. Another challenge was no longer having a champion at the district able to support teachers directly as part of their job.

It seems almost criminal to have thousands of dollars of equipment sitting idle so I agreed to offer a workshop for Primary and Early Intermediate teachers to learn about the large kits that were applied for last year. Most of the equipment was already at LRS and waiting for the ability to send it out. I totally agree that we can’t just send equipment out without starting the learning path in the right direction.

The workshop that I hosted at David Brankin last week with the support of Sandra Ball and Lillah Martin provided the background, the direction, and t

ime to explore the potential of this amazing grant.

As I prepared to do the presentation, 3 key ideas became very salient for me.

1. Many teachers already teach with a hands on / minds on / making / tinkering / inquiry / exploring mindset

2. Even without this equipment and tools, it is possible to be move forward with MakerSpace mindset, although the possibilities are so much greater with a well managed class that is ready to learn in this (unfamiliar to some) way.

3. Now that these kits are moving to the schools, I am excited that more students will be experience some of what my students have and be capable of going far beyond what I even imagined.

Kevin

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