Makerspace

Jackson Vogt continued teaching the Makerspace programme through 2023. After the Covid restrictions of 2022, Jackson was able to return to four uninterrupted terms in the Makerspace room.

All Year 1 students attended the Makerspace an hour each week, while all Year 2-6 students attended in the Makerspace in alternate weeks. The other half of the class attended the Creative Space with Hannah West giving class teachers their weekly hour long CRT allowance and providing a unique hands on small group learning programme taught by specialist teachers.

Jackson worked with teachers across Teams 1-4 to develop learning that complemented and extended the school wide inquiry focus at each level. Planning and preparation for the projects has ensured the continuity and sequence of learning throughout the school as well as the resourcing of tools and materials for each project.

Jackson and Hannah were responsible for overseeing the Digital Technologies Curriculum, supporting teachers across the school.

2023 has been a year of providing students a wide range of technologies from gardening to laser cutting, air pressure rockets to 3D printing .

Our Partnership with Garden to Table continued with nearly all classroom gardens planted by students and harvested to be sent home or gifted to the community via the Pātaka Kai

The teaching in the Makerspace has a strong commitment to cultural responsiveness and Jackson also took responsibility for projects that reflect the perspectives of communities represented in our school and their aspirations.

Makerspace Projects and Partners

Laser Cutter

In 2023 students from all years have had the chance to work with the laser cutter with both individual and collaborative projects.

Students have experimented with a wide range of materials including, bamboo, paper, perspex, plywood and cardboard boxes. More teachers have been encouraged to use this tool to create resources for their classrooms.

An extension group of Year 7-8 students, the 'Makerspace Technicians' have been learning how to use the machine and its software to convert their ideas and designs to decorate the Pātaka Kai.

3D Printer

The 3D Printer was upgraded in 2023 and utilised in diverse creation, problem solving and learning.

When students were studying matter through making bubbles we needed over bubble blowers, in the past these would have been made with wire. However the 3D printer was able to print in real time and its machinery was helpful in displaying the solid filament melting into liquid then cooling back to solids.

The 3D printer software, Tinkercad was re-introduced to all Year 5 & 6 students, for the first time since pre-Covid. Students were excited to not only design and print their own Croc Jibbitz, but to use the CAD software to work on their classroom furniture design project.

ePro8 Engineering

After competing in inter-school design challenges run by ePro8 for the last six years, we now rent equipment for a couple of weeks a year where all students are exposed to the STEM resources and classroom teachers can integrate the challenges into the curriculum.

In 2023 Jackson suggested buying resources from e Pro8 to be used in the Makerspace to focus students on particular skills at any time of the year for any age.

This has been a real success and worthwhile investment. Children as young as five are learning not only the skills of building durable structures and machines, but importantly the mathematical language that is necessary to manipulate and name the equipment.

Stormwater Sleuths

Jackson maintained our relationship with the Tread Lightly environmental education group to study the materials entering stormwater drains on the school site.

Yr 5 students to study the drains on site and visit the neighbouring Ōmaru creek where they used field equipment to examine the quality of the waterway.

Jackson has liased with Treaad Lightly and the partnership aims to expand next year into a Curious Minds project in 2024 where we will study the pollutants entering the sea.

Garden to Table

Our partnership with Garden to Table continued in 2022 where Jackson was given support from the local coordinator who helped advise in planting and harvesting. He also explored procurement and donations of materials.

Jackson has continued to encourage and support all teams and teachers to use their gardens as a learning resource that classes can take pride in. He has worked with the caretaker, Ken Shaw to raise seedlings and rejuvenate all our dried up class gardens.

Students have been able to study soil ecosytems , planting and maintaining a garden in the areas they learn and play in and develop respect and kaitiakitanga for the natural world.

Pātaka Kai

The Pātaka Kai is a simple, open outside facing cupboard for both the the school and the community to donate food and collect food from. Much of our produce from the Garden to table is distributed to families via the Pātaka Kai.

It was inspired by other Pātaka noticed by Jackson in other community hubs such as mārae, community gardens and NGOs as part of a movement in neighbourhoods to share and distribute in a locally, reinforcing manaakitanga amongst the wider school community.

The 'Makerspace Technicians' and Jackson have the privilege and responsibility to decorate, maintain and clean the Pātaka kai to encourage more people to use it.

Jackson Vogt

Makerspace teacher

November 2023

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