Engaging the Learning Community
Course
Example: Makerspaces [7:28]
Co-learning is a part of inquiry and MakerSpaces afford opportunities to investigate some real problems and questions.
According to makerspace.com, MakerSpaces represent the democratization of design, engineering, fabrication, and education. It's a really nice match for library inquiry, I think. So here in our community of learners' conversation, let's consider two different approaches to using the MakerSpace as an avenue for building the community.
First, let's think of adults as mentors and then adults as co-learners. So the mentor piece comes from the MakerSpace playbook's school edition. Here's how they describe mentors: Adults who are interested in working with youth and who may be experienced in one or more forms of making. Mentors ask and answer technical questions, address supply issues, pass on their tool knowledge and safety, help manage realistic project build schedules. Along the way, mentors might exploit teachable moments to explain underlying math, science, and engineering concepts.
And the MakerSpace playbook suggests finding different kinds of mentors. Some who have more of a curiosity and sense of adventure, positive attitude about lots of different kinds of making. And then there are some who have extensive skills in a particular topic area or expertise. Sometimes you might find both modes in the same person they say.
So extending this into our library MakerSpace where I encourage you to consider making beyond the STEM topics, including topics like sewing, crafting, music, humanities, writing. There's a lot of different ways that we can consider our community as contributors in the mentor role. So this might be parents, it might be other people in the school, maybe in or outside their area of teaching or expertise. Maybe a person has a great hobby but that's not necessarily their role in the school.
So think broadly about your people. And then just a few topics that might get you started thinking about what mentors might be able to share. Of course there's the obvious, robotics, engineering, computer programming or computer building, machines like circuits, repair maybe bicycles or furniture. There's music, piano and other instruments is one avenue. But we also have voice, songwriting, music applications like GarageBand. What about cooking? Food safety or nutrition, sewing and crafts. And then media arts, film and video, digital storytelling, photography.
So some steps in bringing these people into the library, we need to know who they are, of course. And as we mentioned, maybe parents, maybe community members, there may be some training including expectations presented from you and as well considering their expectations for their role.
Your school may require clearances or volunteer forms. And then of course, you'll want to collect evidence along the way. This taps into that assessment or evaluation process. So this might be learning products, these might be logs, project timelines.
The MakerSpace playbook recommends expectations from mentors. So if somebody agrees to participate in this way, they should be willing to follow your guidelines. A few of these that the MakerSpace playbook recommends, maybe the obvious, work one on one with students, or in groups of what they suggest up to four members, give projects feedback in a positive, creative, and dynamic spirit, offer specific guidance or workshops in areas of expertise where they help organize logistics, bring serious concerns or issues to the teacher or librarian.
And here's an interesting one for building the community of learners: establish contacts to obtain in-kind donations, sustain member products, and give members and mentors tips and resources. So that's a different channel of benefit to the library. Perhaps supplies and resources can be cultivated through a mentor.
Next let's consider adults as learners and co-learners. So mentors are likely learning along the way of course but their role is primarily one of expert and coach. You might also consider inviting into the community some people who can learn alongside your students. So not necessarily as the experts. A good audience here would probably be parents and caregivers, or maybe students across grade levels for inter-school or cross-grade level teaming.
So for the former, bringing adults in, when adults learn with kids, we have a good way to promote and also model inquiry learning in the MakerSpace. So one form we have to consider might be an afterschool or evening event maybe at varying levels of structure and duration. So you could do just the one and done scenario, maybe for introducing the MakerSpace where you set up lots of different equipment and project ideas for parent and child teams to investigate together.
You might also consider a more sustained program in the form of a series maybe with a set topic, say building a rain water collection system, or a composting bin or maybe a subject area and context, so math in the kitchen. You might also plan for a MakerSpace night with a range of products and ideas. Be sure to evaluate your MakerSpace lessons, thinking about those evaluation measures that you've designed even when you do a more open format. Check in regularly with the mentors and learners, and be sure to provide opportunities for sharing the work that might be part of the evaluation.
The same kind of format would work with other topics too beyond the MakerSpace so either with the mentor model or the co-learner model. You might think about library reference databases, and library catalog tools. So you could be the expert, you might invite a public or college librarian as the expert, or consider your students as the teachers to share information with time for the participants to investigate topics of interest.
You could do this same kind of format with technology apps and media production. Again, this could work in lots of different models with the goal of building knowledge of apps and tools across stakeholder groups. Here you get to showcase students' knowledge and build your participant's practical skills, so how to use a reference database, as well as their understanding of inquiry and the school library program. So it's a win-win.
And that's our MakerSpace example.
The school library makerspace is an example of an opportunity for sharing learning students, teachers and staff, families, and community partners. In the makerspace, expertise can come from many people, where novices learn alongside masters in authentic contexts. Co-learning is a part of inquiry and makerspaces afford opportunities to investigate real problems and questions.
Read "Sample Invitations and Survey Questions for Needs Assessment," provided in the Resource below.
With the sample invitations and survey questions in mind, develop a needs assessment for one stakeholder group, such as administrators or parents. You might use the makerspace example to shape the questions (querying about areas of expertise, for instance), or select another focal point for the information you want to find out.
MLA Citation
Morris, Rebecca J. "Engaging the Learning Community: Plan a Needs Assessment." School Library Connection, November 2024, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2018655?learningModuleId=2018650&topicCenterId=2247902.
Entry ID: 2122863
Additional Resources
About the Author
Email: rmorris@schoollibraryconnection.com
Twitter: @rebeccajm87.
MLA Citation
Morris, Rebecca J. "Engaging the Learning Community. Example: Makerspaces [7:28]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, June 2016, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2018655?learningModuleId=2018650&topicCenterId=2247902.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2018655?learningModuleId=2018650&topicCenterId=2247902
Entry ID: 2018655