Developing Students' Creativity, Collaboration and Problem Solving Skills through Creating a Makerspace in the Secondary English Language Classroom
Makerspace is a concept that stresses the importance of providing students with a place where they can explore their own interests, learn to use tools and materials, both physical and virtual, and develop creative projects in response to a problem or an issue. A makerspace is generally defined by the mindset of agency, tinkering, experimentation, discovery, creativity, creation, collaboration, problem-solving and learning from the process of doing so.
Though originating from STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education, makerspace has wide application beyond the STEAM context and English language learning has increasingly become a viable entry point into the makerspace spirit.
The objectives of the Makerspace Seed project are to:
- explore the place of makerspace and the development of related skills in the English Language Education Key Learning Area;
- develop English language teachers’ capacity to identify opportunities in and outside of the classroom where the makerspace spirit can be cultivated;
- develop teachers’ capacity to design English language learning activities that support tinkering, experimentation, discovery, creation and problem solving by students, in addition to the development of a range of language skills;
- identify effective learning and teaching strategies that empower students to tinker, experiment, discover, create and solve problems in English language learning; and
- develop teachers’ ability to assess students’ English language learning and maker-related skills and attitude in the makerspace context.
In this project, the school project team will, under the guidance of one or two NET Section’s Regional NET Coordinators, develop one or two learning and teaching units of work which culminate in the creation of an object, a text (which can be multimedia and multimodal, e.g. a webpage, a stop-motion animated film, a drama performance) or an actionable project in response to an issue (e.g. a project that will benefit the school community).
Cross-curricular collaboration is encouraged, but not required.
To find out more about this Seed project, please click here.
During each school year, project schools took part in an experience-sharing event organised to celebrate their achievements. Please click on the links below to access the presentation materials.
