Embedded Files
This page hosts a collection of resources specific to Hawken philosophy, pedagogy, practices, and facility.
Please note we are updating some of our practices to align with COVID-19 protocols and the Healthy Hawken Restart Guide.
Jump Directly to Planning A Project In The Innovation Lab
Developing A Maker Mindset
We believe experiential learning affords the highest level of student engagement. Empowering students to navigate a dynamic world with self-confidence, analysis, creativity, and integrity allows them to contribute to, create, and shape their world. Hawken Makerspaces provide our students a safe and open environment to explore creative ideas and complex systems through the use of digital fabrication tools, technology, and collaborative resources. We also believe these spaces empower you as a teacher and enhance your pedagogy. Designing, making, testing, reflection, and iteration are essential to developing a maker-mindset and for student engagement in experimentation, problem-solving, and design thinking opportunities. Learning by doing and maker-empowerment will give our students the confidence, experience, skills and motivation to shift from consumers in our world to creators of content and change.
Maker Empowerment: a sensitivity to the designed dimension of objects and systems, along with the inclination and capacity to shape one’s world through building, tinkering, re/designing, or hacking. - Agency By Design (Research Brief)
So what does this mean for your classroom, and the day-to-day?
Developing real-world essential questions
Brainstorming & building creative capacities
Noticing challenges and finding opportunities
Focusing on empathy
Iterating ideas - working to give and receive meaningful feedback
Supporting students as they offer evidence of learning through multiple paths
So What Is A Makerspace?
A Makerspace...
Promotes an extension of learning initialized in the classroom
Provides an opportunity to apply learning in a more authentic, and hands-on way
Creates an open, safe, and encouraging environment to design, build, tinker, code and create through individual and group opportunities for all students
Provides access to unique tools, machines, materials, and supplies
Established Best Practices - norming of the spaces and learning experiences
Innovation Lab Best Practices & Goals
Collaborate with teachers to provide hands-on experiences for students - with the goal of ideating and making things together. We will work to schedule times for you at your convenience and provide virtual meeting spaces to support you and your students, or schedule maker design times.
Extend learning objectives from your classroom with new tools and techniques that can be used to apply and demonstrate understanding. We hope to learn about your classroom work so we can best design meaningful learning experiences. We are ready to lead the machining steps based on your experiences and comfort level with all this equipment.
Maintain a safe environment for all. We first orient to safety with each experience and expect students to maintain those safety practices moving forward. We will observe best practices for material use, decontamination, physical distancing of our spaces, and everyone's health and wellness.
Work to make materials available as you need them. Please note that in this school year, even green dot materials need to be pre-arranged or checked out through Kara and Anna.
Build products that are an outcome of Maker Mindset principles. Some projects will make it all the way through the design cycle, and some will not, and this is okay. We do not make lots of signage, giveaways, furniture, or products to sell or to support a school activity just because we have the equipment to do so. Instead, we focus on the design cycle part of the work, and involving students every step of the way, where possible.
Challenge students to push their boundaries with each new project; if something seems easy for them to make, how can we add a layer to the project to teach a new skill? Once something is considered “complete,” how can we keep iterating to make it more inclusive, more sustainable, and more beautiful?
Provide an inspiring space, though access may be limited to virtual visits as we will be sharing the room with homeroom class space this school year. We will not be hosting regular classes in the space, and all visits from students to teachers should be scheduled to limit class interruptions, contact, and touchpoints.
Treat our work, the space, our time, and even these goals as an iteration - we are learning and changing as we go, based on feedback from users (the students, and you!)
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Can I Start?
Brainstorm & generate ideas
Search online for your topic paired with a piece of our equipment (i.e. “archaeology laser cutter” or “simple machine fab lab” or “wind turbine 3 D printer”)
Talk with Anna or Nick if we pass on campus (especially in an outdoor area!) or send us an email
Consider constraints (time, materials, background knowledge)
Plan pre-work for you and the students, plan the scope of the experience, plan post-work and presentation/showcase/culmination of learning component
Utilize the Project Planning Vision Board to log your learning goals, planning notes, idea, and concepts
Prototype Exemplar (try your project first - the first iteration shouldn’t be with students)
What Kinds Of Projects Can I Do With My Students?
We really have an unlimited horizon. The best projects often feature student-driven and -paced control over a design process, integrate empathy, and allow for iterations and feedback prior to final production. We want to stretch our students’ boundaries while also finding and feeling success. A GREAT way to see what else is out there is to do some google searching with a makerspace spin. For example, a quick search of “Colonial Williamsburg laser cutter” revealed a wooden torch lantern, scale model of the village, silhouette portraits of colonial residents, and custom-cut stationery and envelopes.
How Long Will It Take?
This really depends on the scope and scale of the projects and the availability of the space. Coordinating with the iLab director ahead of time will give you a better sense of timing and commitment.
What Are "Thinking Routines?"
From & Inspired by Harvard University's Project Zero Agency by Design Work
How Do We Build Understanding?
Parts, Purposes, Complexities (inspires our Breakerspace work in the Labs)
Can I Drop My Students Off At The Innovation Lab?
As with other years, your students only visit the Lab with you as their teacher present.
What About Safety?
Each project and activity in the Lab will be unique and have its own needs in terms of equipment and materials: from paper and tape to machines and saws. We will consider these with you and with the age and readiness of the students in mind. As each new space is used by a student or classroom group, orientation to general safety and safety equipment will be reviewed. Use of any equipment will always be at the Lab Director’s discretion. Some areas of the Lab will require safety equipment upon entering (i.e. goggles) and we will work together to remind students of this.
What Kinds Of Tools, Supplies, and Materials Are In A Makerspace?
“Green” supplies - low-floor materials students and faculty may access with limited need to consider safety.
“Yellow” supplies and tools - are available upon request and should be used with care and discretion
“Red” designates off limits unless otherwise instructed or supplies by a teacher
Prototyping supplies - papers, cardboard, chip board, tape, clay, craft materials
Fabrication Tools - scissors, saws, cutters, knives, awls, hole punch, drills, drill press, hammers, hand tools
Electronics bench - soldering, circuit materials, copper tape, batteries, lights
Robotics - coding sets, snap circuits, LEGOs, iPads, robots
Machines - sewing, embroidery, vinyl cutter, laser cutter, 3-D printer, CNC milling, heat press
Please visit our Machines & Making pages for more information on our space and equipment.
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