Independence in Maker Education - Catapult Example

Not all students come into my lab with a vision of what they want to create.  My room has a ton of tools and it can be overwhelming the first time students come in to use the room.  There are some that walk in with a drawing that they want to try and recreate but there are others that need further guidance.  They either don't think about themselves as 'makers' yet or are more analytical students who I'm still working on to think 'outside the box.'  The challenge is to choose centers that still push students into exploration and challenge them to 'figure it out' themselves.  I tend to put out a minimum of 4 areas for students to get them started.  An area can sit out for quite some time before interest is taken.  Sometimes an area is popular with one group of students and not with a different set of students.

Catapults encourage engineering skills and exploration if set out correctly.  I do not do a step by step explanation of what they are going to look like in the end.  (Although I have seen other instructors give elaborate instructions they think are needed.)  I do set up recommended supplies:  popsicle sticks, rubber bands, plastic spoons, along with a sheet of Google images on catapults.  (I try to leave one station glueless when possible, but I do allow students to utilize glue when they feel it helps their catapult design.) 

My directions are as follows:  Please try to create a catapult.  Try to do it by yourself.  Think about what doing something independently means to you.  I make this announcement loudly and in front of other classroom teachers so that they can pick up on my cue (that I don't want them to make the catapults for the students when they have difficulty wrapping the rubber bands.)  Overall my test has worked.  Students leave explaining that they 'figured out' how to put a catapult together by themselves.  I measure my own success when students return with their own visions about what they want to design using the room as their toolbox.

Word of warning:  Marshmellows make a mess.  Stick to craft fuzz balls.

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