Читать книгу The Kickstart Guide to Making GREAT Makerspaces - Laura Fleming - Страница 9

Introduction

“There are many ways to make a makerspace. But the best way to make it is . . .”

These are the words from my son Gavin, 8 at the time, when I told him I was going to be writing this new book, and his suggestion for how it should begin. So that is where we are beginning. Anyone can create a makerspace, but it is my hope that this book will help you make your makerspace the best it can be.

There are makerspaces, and then there are GREAT makerspaces! This new book is aimed to support ALL educators as they plan and create GREAT makerspaces for their school communities. Makerspaces are never done. GREAT makerspaces are always growing, evolving, and shape-shifting, and by nature are agile and responsive. So even if you are an educator who already has a makerspace, it is my hope that this book will help ensure that your makerspace is one that is most effective and meaningful for your school community.

At the core of this book is the belief that

No two makerspaces should be exactly alike, because no two school communities are exactly alike.

Whether readers are creating a makerspace for a classroom, library, or another space within a school, this book will help them uncover and roll out a space that is vibrant and meaningful to their school now but also sustainable into the future.

It is my hope that readers of this book will have already read my first book, Worlds of Making: Best Practices for Establishing a Makerspace for Your School, which articulated the underlying pedagogy and philosophy and provided a foundation, rooted in research and best practices, for makerspaces in K–12. This Kickstart Guide builds on the research presented in Worlds of Making and showcases those practices by highlighting key components of planning and creating a makerspace and leading readers through the process of doing so. Perhaps the most rewarding part of writing this book for me was having the opportunity to showcase GREAT makerspaces around the world, including in Ghana, Mongolia, Australia, and America.

All makerspaces have the capacity to be great. This book is filled with step-by-step, practical ideas and will help readers shape their space to create a unique learning environment that their students need, want, deserve, and value. While anyone can go out and buy a bunch of “stuff,” those who dedicate the time and effort to the process outlined in this book will create spaces that are meaningful to their school communities. The book is also filled with examples of GREAT makerspaces across the world. It is my hope that highlighting the work of others will help you learn and grow from the work of your peers.

Please write in this book. It is intended to inspire you to make and create. I encourage you to write, brainstorm, doodle, sketch, create, and MAKE in the book itself. Look at this book as a blank canvas that has unlimited possibilities and is just waiting for you to make your mark. I believe passionately that teachers who model making will build better makerspaces.

This book contains

 Step-by-step guidance for planning a GREAT makerspace

 Explanations of the process of planning and creating a makerspace, demystifying and breaking down barriers to innovation

 Lots of activities and strategies to try

 Plenty of room for brainstorming your ideas

 A framework for purchasing items for your makerspace

 Support for setting up your physical makerspace

 Ideas and inspiration for turning your makerspace into a unique learning environment that your students need, want, deserve, and value