About Our Makerspace

Woodland Elementary has recently increased its dedication to providing rich experiences for our students in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in reaction to national trends of demand for a highly skilled workforce in these fields. To this end our organization has made an investment of resources into the development of a Makerspace model for STEM education. As seen in the Technology and STEM Education and Woodland Elementary School logic model attached, the core mission of this program is to expose students to a variety of experiences that provide 21st century learners with 21st century skills.

It is our belief that 21st century skills fall into three broad categories: critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. At the intersection of communication skills and collaboration skills, 21st century learners develop and disseminate a base of necessary knowledge. When critical thinking skills and collaboration skills intersect, 21st century learners display creativity and authentic innovation occurs. At the confluence of communication and critical thinking, 21st century learners become problem solvers capable of tackling complex problems to the benefit of a broader global community.

Woodland’s STEM leadership team has undertaken the task of actualizing this mission statement and set of beliefs through the implementation of a Makerspace model of STEM instruction. Our designated Makerspace classroom serves as a gathering point for our eager students, our humble collection of tools, and our dedicated STEM educator Kari Wolter. A learning environment that is rich with possibilities, Woodland’s Makerspace allows our 21st century learners to connect while working on personally meaningful projects using both new technologies and traditional tools under the guidance of an informed educator.