You might be reading this thinking, I don’t know how to program an Arduino. Maybe you are thinking, I don’t even know WHAT an Arduino is. But, do you know kids? Do you know your students, like on a level of building a strong relationship with them? Listening to them. Understanding their passions. Connecting with them through tiny conversations day in and day out. You do. That’s what we do as teachers. We KNOW our kids.
Our kids have stories inside them. Making will help them release it.
You don’t need a degree in engineering, an expensive set of 3d printers, or even a certificate declaring you a maker. You ARE one. Connect with your kids and share your stories. Because in those stories, created with tools, and shared with the world? That is the very thing that connects us all to who we are and brings learning alive.
Pick one lesson to get started. Exchange a worksheet for a pile of cardboard to create with. Instead of asking kids to “do a worksheet” about a reading story, ask kids to design an invention to change the character’s life. Encourage them to work in teams, think deeply about the story, and invent. Let them share their inventions with the class via a presentation, or even better, let them blog about it and share with the world. Start with this one small thing. Because that’s how stories begin… they just get started.
Start your story. Make school more.
Happy National #WeekOfMaking: Day 1. Join the conversation on Twitter. Use the hashtag #WeekOfMaking. I’m committed to generating a culture of sharing for elementary and primary teachers using the hashtag #elemaker. I started this hashtag because I believe that we are better together. Join in and share. Making is NOT just for middle school or high schoolers. Making is about the very fiber of what our young learners need. Bringing their dreams to reality by creating them with their own two hands. That.
