CaTS (Create/Think/Share) Makerspace

My Students

With constant testing, even in kindergarten, there is no time for students to create, think & share. That's what the CaTS Makerspace is all about. LEGOs, domino racing, duct tape projects, kids will come to our library to have fun working together, learning from each other.

My school is Title I, PreK thru fifth grade, and 95-97% qualifying for free or reduced lunch, depending on the day you count; my kids get moved around often.

They come from urban and rural impoverished homes; our demographics are 16.3% Hispanic, 42.1% black, 34.5% white, 7.7% other (http://www.ncpublicschools.org/fbs/accounting/eddie/ updated 2/27/16). But what you really need to know is that they are great kids, with great minds. My 3-5 students have brought their iPads to the library for the past two weeks, to learn beginning coding. We had a blast! Their collaboration was especially great to see: Student 1 "Mrs. Crockett, can you help me?" Student 2 "Oh, I know how to do that, I'll show you." Their tech skills are well developed. Now I want to give them hands-on innovation opportunities.

My Project

The first objective of CaTS (Create/Think/Share) Makerspace: ensure that making leads to learning. Cognitive capacity is seven or less bits of information at once; direct instruction expands capacity. And productive failure creates an “I can fix it!” attitude. These two concepts produce learning. Fixed maker stations, with low barriers to student creativity (LEGOs, domino racing), support “I can fix it!” and students can complete them during regular library periods. Flexible stations, such as electronics and robotics (different grant), require direct instruction. Projects can be started in the library, then transferred to classrooms for collaborative instruction with teachers. Objective Two: enable creativity & innovation in a population that rarely has such opportunities. My students have created projects in our library, origami flipping birds and pinhole cameras, adapting them to their own ideas, while collaborating & cooperating. And all this is innovation thru play!

The items funded by this grant will allow our students to experience creativity, develop personal goals, and self-assess.

The experience of setting goals, and of facing failure with an "I can fix it!" attitude, will benefit them all their lives. Additionally, thinking and sharing are expected here. As older students become "experts" in certain projects, they will be offered opportunities to assist adults in modeling the projects to younger students.