Makerspaces, STEM, and STEAM

As school librarians and educators, we are working on how we can implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in our classrooms and libraries. Separately, many individuals are trying to start makerspaces in school and public libraries. A small amount of professional literature examines the intersections of these two rising forces in education. The incorporation of makerspaces in STEM and STEAM education has received quite a bit of attention, where the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology has encouraged “…a wide range of high quality STEM-based after-school and extended day activities (such as STEM contests, fabrication laboratories, summer and afterschool programs, and similar activities)” (12). Makerspaces are not always being connected with Common Core Standards, but STEAM activities could easily be used to implement the math CCSS and the upcoming Next Generation Science Standards. Though it may initially seem like a stretch, the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards (ELA CCSS) also have potential to be incorporated into STEM/STEAM activities.

There are many ways to bring makerspaces and CCSS together. I have come up with a few ideas based on my own experiences volunteering with Michigan Makers, a group at the University of Michigan School of Information. Maker activities could give us new, more engaging ways to incorporate STEAM and CCSS into our classrooms and libraries.

Making and the English Language Arts CCSS

Many of the ELA CCSS can be taught through making and hands-on activities. The technology elements of the ELA CCSS can easily be integrated into makerspaces. Along with literacy in technical and scientific subjects, the Common Core Standards also strive for students to “…employ technology thoughtfully to enhance their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language use…. They are familiar with the strengths and limitations of various technological tools and mediums and can select and use those best suited to their communication goals.” In a place where many tools and technologies are available to them, students can gain experience with many different methods of communication and expression.

During her time spent working with children in makerspaces, librarian Gwyneth Jones saw that “they can create something that shows what they learned . . . They get to choose how to show what they learned and how much they learned, and didn’t necessarily need to write a ten-page essay” (qtd. in Semtani). One of the beauties of making is that there is something tangible beyond a paper or a test that shows that a student has developed a skill and expanded his or her knowledge in the process. It is different from writing an essay, but requires a lot of the same powerful thinking. During my time with Michigan Makers at Ypsilanti Community Middle School, I was able to watch as children applied themselves to learning a new mode of expression. Students could learn computer programming such as Scratch, work with circuitry toys and e-textiles, play with Lego, or learn crafts like origami, sewing, and crocheting. They expanded their methods of communication by stretching themselves to learn these new things.

Makerspaces and Inquiry

Inquiry, which is emphasized throughout the Common Core, can be pushed in makerspaces. Before they head off to college, the Common Core State Standards Initiative wants students to “…become self-directed learners, effectively seeking out and using resources to assist them, including teachers, peers, and print and digital reference materials.” Additionally, “they become proficient in new areas through research and study.” This element of curiosity and trying new things is very common in makerspaces because students can work with all sorts of tools and technologies they have not used before. Making may be a more effective way to get children to think in new ways and further their quest for knowledge than just trying to teach it in the classroom. Stephen Abram notes that “play and exploration can be underrated and underdeveloped in learning strategies that focus on testing, skill installation, and critical thinking. Sometimes, imagination and creativity are left to chance or are lower priorities.”

Hands-on learning outside of the classroom can help reinforce lessons about inquiry that are taught in the classroom and make them more powerful for the students when they are able to actually enjoy themselves while they learn. At Michigan Makers, we call it “a menu of choices” for the students. They can do whatever interests them. We refresh the menu every so often so that students will try new things. We also offer challenges in some areas by taking existing projects and twisting them or amping up the difficulty in order to get students to push themselves and think deeply about what they are doing.

The more advanced level of thinking that can occur in makerspaces can also aid in writing instruction, another area of Common Core focus. Anchor standard CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.6 is about “us[ing] technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.” The maker movement emphasizes things like digital publishing and creative commons in order to share information with people around the globe while still making sure that ideas are credited to the proper sources. One member of Michigan Makers taught a lesson to the middle schoolers about creative commons and why it is important, so that moving forward with some of the possible projects students can be more aware of copyright law and being more responsible creators.

Anchor standard CCSS.ELA-Literacy. CCRA.W.10 states that students should be able to “write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.” Writing is not always a part of makerspaces, but it certainly could be. As mentioned, there is a focus on digital publishing and creative commons, but there can also be a place for creative writing or especially journaling. After each early session at Michigan Makers, students were asked to journal about a certain topic, either regarding what they have been learning or what they want to learn. This opportunity gave them time to practice reflection that will be useful to them later in life when researching for papers or thinking about the future. Journaling got phased out over time at the middle school since students did not take to it as we might have hoped, but that doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be tried with different age groups or in different schools. It is a way to let students realize just how much they can grow and learn in a makerspace.

Promoting Literacy with Makerspaces

Combining ELA standards with makerspaces can promote literacy across the curriculum. The Key Design Considerations for CCSS aim for literacy instruction in all subjects at each level. For students to succeed in STEM/STEAM subjects, they need to be subject-literate. By teaching skills like writing, expression, inquiry, and critical thinking in makerspaces, we can help support this ability to communicate in appropriate ways for each topic a student encounters. It will also allow for students to connect English Language Arts with STEM/STEAM, which often seem to be disconnected from each other. Making connections across subjects will in turn increase the high levels of thinking that are going on while students are creating in the makerspace.

Going beyond the Standards

I hope that the ideas of how to use making to teach Common Core Standards might show why these two things should be put together. However, there are some reasons for using makerspaces in education that go beyond the standards themselves. The Common Core State Standards Initiative promotes the fact that the standards are just benchmarks to meet and not ways to teach the material; therefore, educators can use any method to implement these standards. This freedom allows for innovative things like makerspaces to be incorporated into the student experience, so why not take advantage and bring them in? Additionally, making can provide a different way of learning by giving a hands-on experience. John Maeda discusses the benefits of making:

“There is no greater integrity, no greater goal achieved, than an idea articulately expressed through something made with your hands. We call this constant dialog between eye, mind, and hand ‘critical thinking—critical making.’ It’s an education in getting your hands dirty, in understanding why you made what you made, and owning the impact of that work in the world. It’s what artists and designers do.”

Making allows students to challenge themselves and figure out what they are doing and why. It gives them a different experience from what they get in the classroom. Traditional lessons can only go so far, especially with students who learn differently or are above or below grade level.

The greatest strength of makerspaces in education is the ways in which they can enrich experiences and really allow students to do more than they could before. The Common Core State Standards can be incorporated into makerspaces. The English Language Arts standards can be presented in a new way to students who are used to more traditional education, and they can help the students apply what they learn. Makerspaces are where we as educators can really encourage cross-literacy and the interconnected curricula that CCSS and STEM/STEAM education seem to promote. Most importantly, I feel that makerspaces can provide students with a well-rounded, creative, and diverse education that could not be provided otherwise.

Works Cited

Abram, Stephen. "Makerspaces in Libraries, Education, and Beyond." Internet@Schools 20.2 (2013): 18,20,4. ProQuest. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

Common Core State Standards Initiative. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.

Maeda, John. "STEM to STEAM: Art in K-12 Is Key to Building a Strong Economy." Edutopia. George Lucas Educational Foundation, 2 Oct. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.

Semtani, Hiten. "Meet the Makers: Can a DIY Movement Revolutionize How We Learn?" The Digital Shift. Media Source Inc., 19 June 2013. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

United States. President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Executive Office of the President. "Prepare and Inspire: K-12 Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) for America's Future." Educate to Innovate. Whitehouse.gov, Sept. 2010. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.

Originally published in Library Media Connection 33, no. 3 (November-December 2014).