Dive Brief:

• Pam Moran, superintendent of the Albemarle County Public Schools in Charlottesville, VA, spoke during the second annual National Maker Faire in Washington, DC, about her district’s maker-infused curriculum.
• Ed Tech reports Moran’s district prioritizes hands-on learning, which is important for making kids “agents of their own learning” even more than for giving them access to tools like 3D printers.
• All 26 schools in Albemarle County have makerspaces, including in learning commons, mechatronics labs and media construction labs.

Dive Insight:

Some teachers who have wanted to infuse more making in their classrooms have run up against the realities of a rigid school day. It can be hard to justify the time needed to give students the space to create, but increasingly, educators are recognizing the importance of this. Makerspaces are becoming more common in K-12 schools. In districts where the focus on reading and math prep takes precedence over other curricular initiatives, after school clubs can help provide similar experiences to students.

In Montour Public Schools, maker kits can be checked out by parents so kids can turn their own homes into makerspaces. While many schools have gotten grants or found the money to buy 3D printers and other high-cost tools, a number of maker programs features more simple resources that still give kids similar experiences with innovation, trial and error, and learning by doing.