Makerspace is a growing trend in school libraries and for good reason. According to Baker and Alexander (2018) makerspace activities are intended to engage students in open-ended exploration and learning. This allows students to think outside the box as well as exploring subjects and ideas that are interesting to them. There are many types of makerspaces ranging from STEM activities to arts and crafts or even simple building stations with Legos. These activities are not only used in the library but are expanded into the classrooms. Teachers and Librarians are working together to make learning hands on and multidisciplinary by allowing students to take their makerspace skills and apply them to other content areas. Another way that makerspaces can be used to impact student learning is to align it to the career pathways that students take in high school. This gives students an opportunity to explore various career paths at a young age to see what most interests them. Lastly, makerspace activities are beneficial to the learning of our ELL students. According to Murphy (2018) makerspaces can promote social interactions and support students who have limited English proficiency. Giving ELL students a way to demonstrate what they know by doing gives them confidence and evens the playing field with their peers. Overall makerspace is a welcome addition to the school library and benefits the students learning in many ways. "By providing access to a well managed makerspace collection, school librarians clearly connect academic knowledge and deeper understanding with this space and its resources" (Robertson, 2019 p. 13).
References
Robertson, N.D. (2019, November/December). Expanding School Library Collections: The
Makerspace Edition. Knowledge Quest, 48(2), 8-14. ERIC.
Baker, S., Alexander, B. (2018, May/June). A Major Making Undertaking. Knowledge Quest,
40(5), 64-69. ERIC.
Murphy, P.H. (2018, March/April). School Libraries Addressing the Needs of ELL Students.
Knowledge Quest, 46(4), 60-65. ERIC.
Freeman, A., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Davis, A., and Hall Giesinger, C. (2017).
MC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2017 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
I love all the information you offered here, but I particularly love the idea of Makerspace giving more learning opportunities to ELL students. There has been a significant rise in the number of ELL students in the classrooms recently and teachers need more options to teach them. Makerspace is a great way of meeting their needs.
ReplyDeleteI love that you mentioned that markerspaces can align with career pathway choices for high school students. I love the idea of students being able to gain knowledge through research on potential careers that might interest them after school.
ReplyDeleteBefore I started library science masters program I never heard of a makerspace. I am excited to use them so I can help students succeed. The evidence you provide only further justifies the need to have one in a library.
ReplyDeleteSandra Quiroz:
ReplyDeleteHi Alison- I think it is a very good idea for include the markerspaces in the high school level where students are able to explore careers without the commitment of a degree plan. It exposes them to what is out there when they are ready to get their degree.
Your idea regarding ELLs in Makerspaces is genius! Great idea!
ReplyDeleteMakerspaces are growing in popularity. I have seen some coloring and other arts and crafts makerspaces ideas online. Engaging students to use Legos in a Makerspace, while also narrowing down on a specific population, ELL's is a really smart idea. Being from a community along the Mexico border, the ELL population among our school districts in the LRGV in high. Makerspaces bring individuals of different languages to play and think together in a safe learning environment provided by the library.
ReplyDeleteI will have to look into Makerspaces more deeply due to living in a place with a high ELL population. Your explanation is really going to help teachers like me to provide for students in this demographic.
ReplyDeleteI love makerspace. They are great for every student no matter what level and ELL students. Also the students have fun and enjoy it. Great post!
ReplyDelete