Lunchtime Makerspace at the Fendalton School Library

Makerspaces aren't new but they are gaining momentum and unless we want to be left behind we need to get on board. There are many valid reasons for setting up makerspaces in schools and libraries, not least of all the creative thinking and collaboration that happens under different challenges. STEM or STEAM activities happen in schools anyway but linking them as part of makerspace activities allows so much more freedom. It doesn't always have to be a lesson taught in a class. It can happen anywhere and for us, we have opened up the library as a makerspace during some lunchtimes. There isn't room here to talk in depth about Makerspaces, nor is this the place but I want to share what we have been doing and how it works for us.

I am not talking 3D printers here, quite simply, because at this stage we do not have any printers but it is something we will look to fund at some stage.  Nor am I talking about Coding clubs as they happen in many schools already.  I am talking small scale makerspaces in a school library, manageable during a lunchtime break. I am also far from an expert but what I am, is passionate and keen to give it a go.

We call our time Maker Monday's and because of time and space constraints I do limit the number of children participating. I offer each activity to a year level and eventually I will combine groups, particularly when I want older students to team up with and support younger students.

Our first event was open to year six children who created hedgehogs out of weeded library books. I was quite taken aback by the number of boys who turned up ready to fold and create. No cost and heaps of fun. Another event we had was open to year fives. It was a pipe cleaner challenge and they were asked to build the tallest structure they could, using just 14 pipe cleaners. Students were not allowed to use tape or any additional items and were not given any instructions or help. They were in teams of their choice and their willingness to work together was fantastic to see. At one point I asked them to hold a hand behind their back and at another stage they were told not talk to each other. This was based on an idea I saw in Pinterest which is a wonderful tool to use for ideas and planning.

As you can see from the photos children worked well together with some creative thinking, including one student who asked if he held both hands behind his back could his teammate have both his hands free?

No doubt we will find some things will work and others perhaps won’t but we aim to continue trying new ideas and challenges. I hope what this highlights is that makerspaces can be run on a limited budget so there really isn’t any reason not to give it a try.

We want our activities to generate creative thinking and collaboration among students and allow them to give things a go, take risks, and have a little fun along the way. Surely this can only be a good thing. Can it be done bigger and better in a classroom? Absolutely! I am limited by time and cost constraints  but my point is that these students came willingly to try new things and I have been inundated with others wanting a turn. Big or small. Cheap or not so cheap, makerspaces offer children a chance to thrive.

http://library.fendalton.school.nz/?p=2102 - Movie clip of pipe cleaner challenge.

Desna Wallace

Fendalton School

https://booktrailers4kidsandya.wordpress.com/

@edna331

TECH TALK

Last term the Fendalton School Tech Wizards held a Tech Talk evening to share their digital learning with parents and teachers.

The purpose of the evening was for students to demonstrate the benefits of digital technology and how this helps them learn in the classroom by sharing their learnings and skills. More than 30 parents and teachers attended. It was great to see adults asking questions about the different programs and having a go at using them. It was also fantastic to hear the children confidently explaining the features and benefits of their chosen topic.

24 students worked individually, in pairs or in groups of 3. Their topics included Google apps, Movemote for recording videos, Scratch for coding and the Tech Wizards programme. The evening was run 'speed dating' style with two rotations of 7 topics, each held for 7-8 minutes.

Some students had previously spoken at the Burnside Cluster Learning Community Unconference and confidently presented their talks. For others, it was the first time they had shared 1-to-1 with adults so they spent the previous three weeks writing scripts, preparing examples and practising the delivery of their presentations at Tech Wizard time. Some were a little nervous at first but the students soon relaxed and enjoyed the experience!

"It was a really good experience to share our learning with others because some new people have now joined Tech Wizards." Georgiana, Year 6.

"It was nice for my parents to see what I do on digital devices because now they know what I can use for my learning." Hugh, Year 6

"It was a great opportunity for people to find out what they didn't know about technology." Lucia, Year 5

"I was quite nervous at the start of the Tech Talk but once I got the hang of how to say things and show things it was really easy and fun." Issac, Year 5

About the Tech Wizards

The Tech Wizards are a group of 30+ Year 5 and 6 students my colleague Carmen Dodd and I work with before school on Fridays. The focus for this group is to extend their digital technology skills and to assist others. They work towards criteria to earn digital badges and are encouraged to explore new technologies, share their findings and collaboratively problem-solve to find new ways to enhance their learning. To read more you can visit the ICT blog: http://www.fendalton.school.nz/ict/

Glenys Williams - Assistant Principal at Fendalton Open-air Primary School

Code Ninjas

The statistics about the changing work place are clear, in the next decade automation is going to radically change the type of jobs that will be available to today’s primary school children. We need to prepare them now and it is never too early to start.

Over the last two or three years a growing movement of educators have been calling for a more formal approach to teaching our children computational skills and understanding. In the UK, the teaching of coding is now part of the curriculum!

There are calls for Australia to follow the UK’s lead and New Zealand risks being left behind if we don’t start making some strides in this area. Many New Zealand schools, including Fendalton, are now running code clubs to help expose students to the skills of coding. Whilst this is a great start, it should not rely on the passion and interests of individual teachers in schools to set up code clubs, we need all our children to be exposed to this.

Many online tools exist to make the teaching of coding easy and to reduce the stress on teachers. My experience of running Code Club at Fendalton is that the children do not initially need too much teacher support and it is often their peers who help them out well before they need me. Genuine peer teaching and collaborative problem solving is a wonderful outcome of giving children time to code.

Coding is fun because it is based on problem solving and creation, two of the key skills that we need our children to learn. In fact, coding fits neatly with each of our Fendalton Open-Air School's Key Competencies; Team Player (collaborative problem solving and support), Dream Maker (the need to keep going when the going gets tough), Thinker (Solve complex problems that often require rethinking the whole scheme), Communicator (sharing the learning and communicating ideas) and Sparkle and belong (coding gives all children a chance to sparkle and feel a sense of pride when they complete a project).

My challenge as a school leader is to move coding from a ‘club’ for the few interested children into something that can permeate the curriculum.

What are the barriers to coding in schools?

There are three main barriers to regular coding:

1. Teacher understanding

2. Resources

3. Finding the time in a busy curriculum

None of these are insurmountable and I have some ideas about how we will tackle these at Fendalton.

In many ways teacher understanding is a moot point, as the students will inevitably self direct their learning in this regard and teachers just need to be willing to let go of control and let the children go for it! Of course, the teachers need to place a structure around this learning and there is a myriad of tools online to help with this. Teachers still need to develop their own understanding and learn alongside the students so that they can provide guidance and facilitate progression. As a leader I must ensure that I support the teachers with this new learning.

Resourcing is always an issue in schools especially when looking at technology. One interesting solution that has many extra problem solving benefits is the Raspberry Pi. The Raspberry Pi has been around for a while but EduTech was my first opportunity to get my hands on one. This is a very cheap computing solution, the one I purchased at EduTech was only $50 and when coupled with a cheap keyboard, mouse and TV screen we have a tiny yet powerful computer that can run most of the coding environments that we are likely to use at school.

As with money, time is another scarce resource in schools. However coding can fit neatly into most learning that already takes place in schools, it just requires a little creative thinking and commitment!

Paul Sibson - Principal at Fendalton Open-Air Primary School