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Creativity and persistence flourish in Arthur PS’s makerspace

December 6, 2016

ARTHUR, Ontario – If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That message is the undercurrent flowing through Arthur Public School’s reinvented library.

Over the summer, the library underwent renovations and since then, the school has been focusing on the room as a makerspace, a place of exploration and collaboration.

Students come to the makerspace during class time and at recess to explore and teach themselves how to use new tools or programs and solve problems. When they return to class, they complete learning logs where they reflect on what they learned, tutorials they watched, for instance.

The space is fluid, with students moving tools and tables to set up their own area, trying out tools such as the green screen or the 3D printer, and teaching themselves to program using robotics programs like Dash and Dot and Little Bits.

Teacher-Librarian Mrs. Goindi encourages students to be persistent when they get stuck on a problem, fostering their problem-solving skills. Through trial and error or watching tutorials, students will work through the challenges set out for them in the makerspace.

The library’s Makerspaces Menus lists activities that students can try out in media (such as video production or graphic design), robotics and coding (including using Ozobots and Scratch), and construction (with things like Lego and K’Nex).

Students are also encouraged to work on projects that will help others learn, by creating a video tutorial that can help teach others or making a green screen or stop motion video that can be shared at a school assembly.

Messages on the library walls encourage creativity and give students ideas of what types of activities they can try. One poster in particular reinforces their power as “makers” – “We are makers,” it reads. “We design. We dream big. We have ‘hard fun.’ We ask questions. We try and try again. We make mistakes. We collaborate. We think deep. We create. We are MAKERS.”

Categories: Spotlight On Schools