Introduction

STEM has emerged as a key area of importance for children, highlighting the value and relevance of integrated understandings of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in both educational contexts and everyday life (Johnston et al., 2022). It is well recognised that important foundations for future learning, achievement and wellbeing are developed in the early years. While mathematical and scientific concepts and processes are encountered spontaneously in young children’s everyday lives, greater intentionality is required in pedagogical approaches to build conceptual knowledge as well as positive attitudes and dispositions towards the STEM domains (Johnston et al., 2022).

Makerspaces are gaining popularity in the educational activities of all age groups, from primary schools to higher education institutions, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Due to makerspaces’ hands-on learning approach, it is generally believed that learning in makerspaces influences students’ creative and thinking skills (Soomro et al., 2023). 
In the following literature, you will read about what a makerspace is in STEM, the  significance of using makerspace, and the tools used in makerspaces. 

​

 

 

 

What is a makerspace? 
According to the Dartmouth College Library Research Guide , Makerspaces started in 2005 in Germany. However, the drive to make something that improves your life seems to be a part of human nature. People have been “makers” since early humans drew on the walls and made fire for cooking. At one point in our countryÊs history, people made most of what they used or consumed. It was simply a way of life (Marge, 2018). 

A makerspace is a place for students to implement their ideas, individually or in teams. It is defined as “a creative and uniquely adaptable learning environment with tools and materials, which can be physical and/or virtual, where students have an opportunity to explore, design, play, tinker, collaborate, inquire, experiment, solve problems and invent” (Loertscher, 2013).  Makerspaces are utilized for interdisciplinary applications and research, helping users coordinate between different disciplines to develop complex engineering designs (Kim, 2020).  

Makerspaces provide tools and environments for experimentation, where students must turn ideas into physical artifacts. Hence, makerspaces, creativity, and STEM learning are strongly linked due to the nature of STEM education (Abdurrahman, 2019). Activities associated with the maker movement generally involve the integration of digital technologies into practices of designing and constructing physical, and sometimes virtual, objects (Bower, 2018). According to Martin (2015), these activities can be distinguished from traditional arts-and-crafts by the way in which digital technologies are used to produce artifacts and facilitate an ethos of open-source sharing. 

​

 Facilitators or teachers are positioned as guides and collaborators, and rather than adopting an expert/novice dyad approach makerspaces enable children to lead experiences and provide equitable opportunities for involvement (Johnston, 2022). Makerspaces provide 21st-century creative minds a location and atmosphere to pursue their dreams. The drive to make something that improves your life has been a part of human nature for many generations and continues today in Makerspaces (Marge, 2018).

​

The significance of using makerspace teaching STEM
Recent studies oriented to the development of learning strategies had not emphasized the Makerspace concept, even though a good understanding of makerspace concept was the start point in implementing integrated-STEM essence. Makerspace in STEM is the deliberate positioning of student learning in contexts that require the drawing together of skills and knowledge from the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to create, construct, and critique a product or artifact.(Abdurrahman, 2019).

​

 We reasoned that to make the most of the makerspace, all teachers should be aware of the type of instruction in the makerspace and how that instruction could support the instruction and activities they were implementing in their own classrooms (Rouse, R., Krummeck, K., & Uribe, O., 2020). A key point in implementing makerspace activities in schools is that teachers relate the activities to learning outcomes and curricular goals. Consequently, being able to assess students’ performances becomes a challenge because of the absence of established measures to assess students’ learning during making processes (Walan, 2023).

As the popularity of these spaces has increased, so has the amount of research on them. Initially, STEM education research focused largely on the benefits of makerspaces based on the quality of physical prototypes and student design projects (Forest et al., 2014; Wilczynski et al., 2016). 

Sheridan et al. (2014) found that even though they studied different makerspaces, some similarities were observed in the outcomes. The first was that these learning environments are multidisciplinary, thus, fuelling engagement and innovation. They gave an example of how disciplines such as sewing and electronics were combined for a girl who was creating accouterments for a doll’s bed. Sheridan et al. (2014) found that diverse materials, processes, others’ work and the multi-disciplinarity in the environment stimulated the girl to expand her knowledge and skills in design work. The second finding showed that makerspaces had a marked diversity of learning arrangements, blending individual and group projects, structured workshops and demonstrations, as well as self-directed activities. Making was the core in all of the makerspaces; yet, the participants seemed to highlight the social aspect, referring to the spaces as being familiar, i.e. a place where you meet friends. The third finding by Sheridan et al. (2014) was that learning was closely related to the making. The value of the makerspace in which this study took place can be related to the findings of Sheridan et al. (2014). It is multifaceted, when it comes to equipment and possibilities to conduct different kinds of making. It has the traditional digital tools such as 3D-printers and laser cutters, but it is also equipped with all sorts of paint, paper, wood, etcetera, hence diverse materials. The making is the core and the social aspects, for instance, the female engineering students supporting the girls during the project (Sheridan, 2014).

​

 Tools used in makerspaces
There are numerous examples of rooms that were originally designed as traditional classrooms being converted into makerspaces or collaborative STEM work areas. This also involved the use of not only hazardous materials but also hand and power tools (Love, T. S., & Roy, K. R., 2018). 

For about fifteen years the number of makerspaces has been growing steadily. The core drivers have been more easily available digital design and fabrication tools (e.g. 3D printing), mostly based on open-source software and hardware, and the “maker movement” which promotes (digital) Do-It-Yourself (DIY) making and sharing of tools and knowledge. Maker media, online sharing platforms and a wave of large maker fairs and weeks (e.g. European Maker Week) and local maker days have spread the spirit and practice of “making” worldwide. Makerspaces can take different forms in terms of organization, where they are established, available tools, and what is being produced (Schˆn, Ebner, & Kumar, 2014). However, according to the literature they share some aspects, which include that a makerspace typically is: 

* run by or on behalf of a local community or public institution, 
* publicly-accessible, freely or based on a moderate membership fee, 
* equipped with a variety of tools for creative work by like-minded people,
* promotes collaboration on projects and knowledge sharing, and
* includes educational activities with a focus on hands-on “learning by doing” 
(Geser, G., Hollauf, E., Hornung-Prähauser, V., Schön, S., & Vloet, F.,  2019).

​

 We want students to be comfortable while they research and Make. Finding some nice furniture for cheap can add a level of comfort that students will enjoy. If you have specific programs that students will be using that are not web- based, you will need to consider laptops. The reason I suggest laptops is because you want students to be mobile in a makerspace. They will need to bounce to different stations to do different things or collaborate with different groups. This freedom to move around is destroyed if the makerspace is filled with hardwire computers. It's just becomes another computer lab if they are stuck at computer stations (Provenzano, 2016).
       

You may want to have students use 3D printers in your makerspace because you have seen them before and think they're very cool. Let me set the record straight: 3D printers are really freaking cool. Also,fFilling the makerspace with fun gadgets that encourage play and will require some amount of learning is a great way to engage students in learning (Provenzano, 2016). 
       

 It's fine to look at the fun toys that makerspace have to offer. Tools are great, and we all want to play with the new tools, but remember the space needs to be about what the students want/ need to make chroma know what tools we can give the kids and make them use because we spend each Bank of money on them. Make students part of the process. They will have a sense of ownership if they help design and build the space, and it will help grow the space organically if students are working to fill it with amazing projects (Provenzano, 2016).

 

Conclusion

It is important to address emerging issues that meet the needs of our students. Adopting the use of technology and its implementation in the classroom is a smart decision. This helps us create an innovative and growing environment in our classrooms.

             

As an educator, it is important to have the right tools and acquire new knowledge. The articles and authors mentioned in this review have provided valuable information that demonstrates the importance of technology in the classroom, as well as the benefit of implementing the STEM program from an early age and the use of makerspaces.

         

 Makerspaces teach kids resilience. As they tinker, students analyze what's working and what's not, and they have to try different tactics to solve problems. Through this process, kids learn to experiment, accept failures, make improvements, and develop the resilience they need to try and try again.

           

That is why it is extremely important to have theoretical support for professional growth and demonstrate that there is support for our investigative work and in this way be able to be successful in our work and, above all, know that we are on the right path.

References

Abdurrahman, A. (2019). Developing STEM Learning Makerspace for Fostering Student’s 21st Century Skills in The Fourth Industrial Revolution Era. Journal of Physics, 1155, 012002. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1155/1/012002

 

Bower, M., Stevenson, M., Falloon, G., Forbes, A., Hatzigianni, M. (2018). Makerspaces in Primary School Settings – Advancing 21st Century and STEM capabilities using 3D Design and 3D Printing. Sydney, Australia: Macquarie University. Available at: https://primarymakers.com.

 

Forest, C. R., Moore, R. A., Jariwala, A. S., Fasse, B. B., Linsey, J. S., Newstetter, W. C., Ngo, P., & Quintero, C. (2014). The invention studio: A university maker space and culture. Advances in Engineering Education, 4(2), 1–32.

 

Geser Guntram, Hollauf Eva-Maria, Hornung-Prähauser Veronika, Schön Sandra, & Vloet    Frank. (2019). Makerspaces as Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Learning Environments: The DOIT Learning Program. Discourse and Communication for Sustainable Education, 10(2), 60–71. 

   https://doi-org.libproxy.lamar.edu/10.2478/dcse-2019-0018

 

Johnston, K., Kervin, L., & Wyeth, P. (2022). STEM, STEAM and Makerspaces in Early Childhood: A Scoping Review. Sustainability, 14(20), 13533. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013533

Kim, S.-W. (2020). An Interdisciplinary Capstone Course on Creative Product Development with Cross-College Collaboration. International Journal of Engineering Education, 36(3), 919–928.

 

Loertscher, D. V., Preddy, L., & Derry, B. (2013). Makerspaces in the school library learning commons and the uTEC maker model. Teacher Librarian, 41(2), 48.

 

Love, T. S., & Roy, K. R. (2018). Converting classrooms to makerspaces or STEM labs: Design and safety considerations. Technology and Engineering Teacher, 78(1), 34-36.

 

Marge Cox. (2018). The Elementary School Library Makerspace : A Start-Up Guide. Libraries Unlimited.

 

Provenzano, N. (2016). Your Starter Guide to Makerspaces (The Nerdy Teacher Presents). https://read.amazon.com/?asin=B01M0PTPV4&ref_=kwl_kr_iv_rec_1

 

Rouse, R., Krummeck, K., & Uribe, O. (2020). Making the most of a makerspace. (n.d.). NSTA. https://www.nsta.org/science-and-children/science-and-children-february-2020/making-most-makerspace
 

Sheridan, K. M., E. R. Halverson, L. Brahms, B. K. Litts, L. Jacobs-Priebe, and T. Owens. 2014. “Learning in the Making: A Comparative Case Study of Three Makerspaces.” Harvard Educational Review 84 (4): 505–531. doi:10.17763/haer.84.4.brr34733723j648u.  [Crossref] [Web of Science ®], [Google Scholar]

 

Soomro, S.A., Casakin, H., Nanjappan, V. et al. Makerspaces Fostering Creativity: A Systematic Literature Review. J Sci Educ Technol 32, 530–548 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-023-10041-4

 

Walan, S. 1963, & Brink, H. (2023). Students’ and teachers’ responses to use of a digital self-assessment tool to understand and identify development of twenty-first century skills when working with makerspace activities. International Journal of Technology and Design Education. https://doi-org.libproxy.lamar.edu/10.1007/s10798-023-09845-7

​

Walan, S.  (2021). The dream performance – a case study of young girls’ development of interest in STEM and 21st century skills, when activities in a makerspace were combined with drama, Research in Science & Technological Education, 39:1, 23-43, DOI: 10.1080/02635143.2019.1647157

 

Wilczynski, V., Zinter, J., III, & Wilen, L. (2016). Teaching engineering design in an academic makerspace: Blending theory and practice to solve client-based problems. Paper presented at the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, New Orleans, LA.