Visit one of our ‘pop up’ mini-makerspaces in the Scarfe Digital Sandbox – Scarfe 155 (Tuesday 12:45 – 2 beginning September 29th & the last Wednesday of each month 12 – 1pm). Explore ways to bring hands-on learning to your cla
ssroom through activities that spark imagination through playful exploration and invention. This activity is particularly relevant to Science learning but, I believe (and research agrees with me), that making and tinkering can support cross-curricular learning! Come explore, share and learn.
“Although the practice of planning and carrying out investigations has always been a part of good science instruction, the student focus often has been more on carrying out than on planning, with teacher-structured investigations far outnumbering student opportunities to develop their own research questions. Giving students opportunities to design and plan investigations allows them to truly experience the excitement of science and better understand the nature of scientific inquiry.” (Science Teacher, an NSTA publication)
Sandbox Handout – Making and Tinkering Handout
A terrific Resource for educational applications of making, tinkering and developing a inquiry learning mindset in your students: Invent to Learn by Sylvia Libow Martinez and Gary Stager, 2013 www.inventtolearn.com
Other links of interest:
http://nstacommunities.org/blog/2014/02/14/planning-and-carrying-out-investigations/
Squishy Circuits Guide – University of St. Thomas
See also MIT’s Soft Circuits Guide – FABRIC circuits!!
or, be a little more inquiry oriented in your exploration. See Lynda’s blog for some ideas!
Request a planning guide to support creating a MakerSpace in your school (geared to secondary ed)
