3 Ways to Bring Makerspace Principles Into STEM Classrooms

After I taught a creative unit in my AP Physics class, a student wrote that they “really love this approach to learn physics differently… it was memorable to do something that is outside of solving AP problems.” This student perfectly summed up some of the reasons I like teaching in a makerspace, creating memorable experiences that translate into real-life applications of knowledge, not just problem-solving. I’m lucky that I’ve taught in schools with established makerspaces, and I get so excited to use the technology and help students be creative in the classroom. I’ve had so many different students tell me that making helped them to better understand content or that it made school more memorable or fun.

However, having a makerspace in your school doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll use it, and not every school has a makerspace to begin with. You can still bring elements into your classroom, though. By taking some small steps, you can grow your skills as a maker and use making in your classroom with more confidence. 

1. foster creativity

Each year, I have students in my project-based physics course construct a freestanding paper tower. Students usually struggle to keep their towers upright with only paper and some tape. In one class, however, students watched Between the Folds, an hourlong documentary on origami and STEM. After watching the movie, my students made intricate folded towers that were significantly stronger than they had the year before.

If you show students an interesting idea and then give them a project to utilize it, they will fill in the project with their enthusiasm and individual drive. By discovering that folding can make a stronger product, students could jump to new applications. These days, I foster creativity in a number of ways. I use theater games regularly in my class to keep the energy in the room engaged and excited. When my Engineering projects have design decisions, I make it a point to intentionally ask students to reflect on their decision and justify why. And I use artistic tools like visual scanning and artistic statements to help students see the connection between creativity and the work we are doing in the classroom.

2. Start small

Maker education doesn’t need to have a huge amount of complex material or high-tech tools. For educators, practicing with small-scale projects can be a perfect way to learn how to help students in the makerspace—or in hands-on activities in the classroom. 

I taught my very first maker project in my first year of teaching. To show students how torque worked, we made mobiles using dollar-store products: plastic forks, beads, and key chains. The hardest part was tying knots onto slippery straws. But I learned so much by doing this little project! I learned about what materials to prepare, what questions to expect, how to help a student who finds the open-ended nature of the work frustrating. But mostly, it got me excited about other ways to teach the same content. The visual mobile helped students understand torque more deeply than any free-body diagram or YouTube video about engines.

A good way to help students design is to start with small prototypes. Starting small can build to better project development. Several years ago, my engineering and design course had a major focus on “paper physics,” or origami devices that can help students understand physics topics. I taught them about Newton’s laws with paper airplanes, sound with paper poppers, and rotation with fidget spinners.

Over time, I started to realize that I could build more complex fidget spinners with technology in the makerspace. Now, I rarely cover original topics inside of the paper physics unit and instead have students make fidget spinners, starting with origami, then cardboard, then a final laser-cut version. Practicing teaching with small units can help you develop more makerspace units in the future. 

3. share what you love

Kids (of any age) love when their teachers share something that they love. My best makerspace projects have come from something creative that I shared with my students. 

I’ve written about my resin coaster project for Edutopia. The truth about that project is that I started making these coasters as gifts because I like working with resin. I was learning the laser cutter and thought of this application for my personal life, not my educator life. After doing it enough, I saw how this project would let me integrate art into STEM lessons, and I went for it. 

This year is my first year teaching chemistry in some time. Although working in a new course is hard, I’m excited to teach my students about stoichiometry because I have a great creative project tied to it: “s’more chemistry.” To help students understand the idea of the ratios of a chemical reaction, I have them think about the yield they can expect with a given “chemical reaction” (s’more recipe) and a volume of reactants. One of my mentor teachers taught this unit and even owned a food-safe Bunsen burner specifically to safely make s’mores with her students. This project teaches the idea of stoichiometry better than many more traditional lessons can. My excitement about it leads to better engagement and stronger content understanding. 

Makerspace teaching can have challenges different from those of a standard classroom. But the benefits for student learning and professional growth as a teacher are huge. I’ve seen so many students understand challenging concepts they might not have learned if not in a hands-on, practical setting. And for me as a teacher, makerspace teaching is varied and keeps me curious about every year and every classroom. Hopefully these small steps can help any teacher grow and become more confident in their making skills.