Three Strategies for Creating an Amazing and Effective Maker Space in Your School

While many schools have the space and resources to allocate to building a large Maker Space, many do not. This article will provide two low-cost and flexible alternatives to large Maker Spaces. For those with the resources to build a full-room Maker Lab, I’ll provide some ideas and guidelines that work well. I’ll also discuss best practices that can be applied to any type of innovative learning environment.

The best Maker Spaces address all of the following:

In an ideal world, each organization would have a large, vacant space to re-purpose as a Maker Space. In the same ideal world, organizations would have unlimited funding to acquire tools and hire staff for their Maker Space. However, we all know that in most organizations — especially schools — space and money are two of the top three things that are scarce (time is the third). With all that in mind, I’ve outlined three scenarios for creating an effective Maker Space for your school. While the scenarios I describe are geared toward schools, I have seen each one of these strategies work in design studios, traditional laboratories, community art centers, etc.

A Maker Cart is a great choice for many organizations. Of the three options, this is the least expensive. Portability is a key benefit of this strategy. Since resources are portable, making can be decentralized. Decentralization of resources means that teachers can use the Maker Cart anywhere. Learning can happen in a library, hallways, outdoors, or anywhere in between.

Before we get to the pros and cons of the Maker Cart, here are a few cart options to get started:

A: Most pushcarts can be modified to become a Maker Cart. As mentioned in the pros and cons list above, overall weight capacity should be considered when planning for your Maker Cart. Pegboard segments can be cut and attached to any side of the cart, which provides easy storage and access to hand tools and accessories. Heavy-duty, large wheels are preferable to support weight and provide a means to cross floor thresholds or uneven surfaces.

C: Soldering Irons are used to melt solder to join electrical components. Although the tip of the soldering iron gets very hot, a variety of ages can learn to solder and design circuits.

D: Sewing Machines are the 3D printers of their time! Initially, threading a bobbin, adjusting tension, and controlling pedal speed can be challenging for students and teachers, but it’s easy to attain proficiency with machine sewing. Students feel empowered when they make even the most rudimentary creation with a sewing machine, whether it be a pillow, puppet, or garment.

G: 3D Printer Filament is the plastic material 3D printers melt and extrude to produce 3D prints. Modern 3D printers can print in a variety of materials, such as nylon, ABS plastic, and PLA plastic. I prefer PLA as it’s derived from corn, safest to be around while the 3D printer is printing, and very recyclable (for all those not-quite masterpieces). Most people are concerned about the cost of filament, but most 3D printing slicing software (the tool one uses to prep a 3D model to be printed) uses a honeycomb interior to provide structural integrity and save on filament.

H: Traditional Hand Tools are easy to forget about as we plan our Maker Space. After all, most of us have some in our homes and they aren’t featured as prominently in EdTech circles as drones and 3D printers. However, traditional hand tools are a powerful medium of creation and are also a key aspect of fixing and maintaining other tools.

Here are a few other great options for the base of your Maker Wall:

We covered A-H while talking about the Maker Cart:

The Maker Lab is the ultimate Maker Space. A Maker Lab can support a large group of learners working in multiple modes and disciplines. Requiring the largest space allocation, a Maker Lab can also be the most costly to equip. Many schools elect to build to suit for their Maker Space or Innovation Lab, but many types of rooms and spaces can be re-purposed as a Maker Space — classrooms, hallways, and even large supply closets!

Since several items were covered in previous sections, we’ll focus on what a Maker Lab could feature — particularly things that might not work with the Maker Cart or Maker Wall options.

More Sewing Machines! | One sewing machine is great, but several are better. Due to the low cost of good entry-level machines, it’s convenient to have more than one for students to use. Having one heavy-duty machine (for thicker materials such as canvas or denim) and one programmable machine (for automated designs or lettering) can also be great resources as students become more advanced sewers.

Dress Forms | A dress form is a free-standing tool that simulates the curves of a human body on which to build garments. They come in both static and adjustable styles.

Sewing Storage | More sewing and more complex projects leads to a need for more supplies. Shelving units with lots of cubbies in a variety of sizes provide ideal storage for in-progress student projects, fabrics, and miscellaneous supplies.

More 3D Printers! | Having more than one 3D printer means that more 3D prints can be made in a shorter time (it also means more maintenance will be needed). While having several 3D printers isn’t required, it’s important to be mindful of the bottleneck 3D printing can cause. In general, 3D printing is slow! With one or two 3D printers, a class of 25 students can certainly all print unique objects — just over a longer time frame than with more 3D printers.

Work Benches | There’s never enough workspace! A workbench (or several) provides extra workspace and/or desk space.

We discussed three strategies for building an effective Maker Space in any school, design studio, laboratory, or other organization looking to get started with making and rapid prototyping. We covered a wide array of useful and engaging tools that work for varied learning styles, subjects, and ages. However, the single most important aspect of any effective Maker Space is the teacher. Hiring, training, and supporting a passionate educator to facilitate learning is the #1 key to success. All too often, I visit schools and hear that a teacher has been asked to staff a new Maker Space in addition to a full teaching schedule. Or a librarian must organize and teach in a library full time, while also navigating a new Maker section of the library. Schools that have successful Maker Spaces have selected a passionate educator (or several) to focus on the Maker Space. These schools have given these educators the time, space, and training necessary to be successful.

So, if you can only focus on one aspect when planning for your new Maker Space or while thinking about how your existing Maker Space can be more successful, start with a teacher.

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