Creative Spaces (Maker Spaces)

What is a creative space?

A creative space is a space in which people come together to make things - students, staff, and community members are all welcome. It is informed and inspired by the Maker movement, by Art Hives and by the act of creation that makes us human.

Art Hives

Maker Movement

A creative space brings together head, heart, and hands.

A creative space is a human space where we collaborate with others to design, create, and build using physical materials and digital devices. The focus on the process of making allows us to make deep connections between concepts, to solve real-world problems, to develop perseverance, or simply to create serendipitously.

View LEARN Quebec's video introducing Creative Spaces.

To learn more about the role of digital devices in a Creative Space, visit the Digital Devices page.

What does a creative space look like?

Physical Space

Your space can take many different forms. In fact, no two creative spaces look alike! The physical space can be in a classroom, a library, a designated space in the school, a set of bins in a common area, or even a mobile supply cart that you roll into your classroom.

It is not just about the physical space, but what will take place in your creative space and the mindset you want to encourage. If many age levels will be sharing the space, you’ll need to consider making a range of work surfaces and tools available.

Materials in the Space

The list of available technologies may seem daunting, but your school may have already purchased equipment through the funding that was made available for 2018-2019.

When looking to invest in a creative space, you can start with what you have and what you know. The materials and tools are simply a means to an end. It is highly recommended that the school community be involved making choices about what to put in the space to meet local needs. Survey fellow teachers, students, and community members about their interests. As a staff, talk about what is happening in the classrooms, and how the creative space might augment the projects, activities, challenges that are already in the works.

As the space develops, so will the tools. All you really need is cardboard, duct tape and an open mind. Allow for time for students and teachers to begin experimenting with the materials and tools in the space regardless of familiarity.

Collaborate with your colleagues, RECIT, local consultants, and administrators to figure out what material is best-suited for your creative space - it depends on your needs!

Pedagogical Approaches

Active Learning

Creative spaces can foster student engagement through active learning with high and low-tech materials. This can include, but is not limited to programming, using microcontrollers such as the Makey Makey and micro:bit, robotics, constructing with cardboard, working with e-textiles and paper circuits, as well as designing and creating simple machines.

Design Thinking

But more importantly, there is an emphasis on the process of design, creation and collaboration and the maker mindset. In addition, work-in-progress, documentation using photos and videos, and final productions created in the space can be shared with others in the community and the world through journals, websites, blogs, and through social media.

It’s not really about the product, but about the learning that is happening throughout the process and the reflection on the learning, for both the teachers and the students.

The design thinking process can be used in a creative space to address issues in your classroom, centre, local community or around the globe (such as UN’s Sustainable Development Goals). This allows students to become involved in making with a purpose for a specific audience.

For more information on the design process, see:

The Design Process - The Backbone of School Makerspaces
The Engineering Design Process from Queen's University Engineering Outreach Program (of specific interest to Adult Ed Math and Science Teachers, including a literacy across the Curriculum component)

Getting Started

Experience one for yourself - with your colleagues!

LEARN offers space and time for teachers to play with new material. See when their next event is here: Open Creative Space days
Speak with your Technology Lead Teacher (TLT), ped consultant, RECIT consultant, or administrator to find out how to create your own PD about Creative or Maker Spaces.

Solve problems in your centre with students and colleagues

Are there areas in your classroom or centre that are problematic and need solutions?
Are there issues in your community that could use some solutions?

Explore online

There are many online resources for getting started with Creative Spaces
- RECIT-QC training materials: online resources for Creative Spaces (in French)
- Articles about Making: Makezine
- LEARNs resources: Open Creative Spaces

Reflection

Questions

What are the learning intentions?
What kind of environments will best support these intentions across disciplines?
- - Will it be a shared space, a classroom space, a mobile cart of material?
How will a creative space help us to focus on learning processes?
Will we be allowing for student choice in regards to what materials they use?
Who will be responsible for the space and the materials within it?

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