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How I hope to create opportunities for students to be creative, problem solvers and critical thinkers in my maker classroom!

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How I hope to create opportunities for students to be creative, problem solvers and critical thinkers in my maker classroom!

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5. Overall, how did it feel to be a maker with this assignment? And please describe how you can offer your own students opportunities to be makers in your classroom (or perhaps even beyond your classroom). 

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5. Overall, how did it feel to be a maker with this assignment? And please describe how you can offer your own students opportunities to be makers in your classroom (or perhaps even beyond your classroom). 

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I really enjoyed this assignment. I enjoyed this assignment most because I created something that I was interested in, something useful and something I could create with my husband. I enjoyed collaborating and sharing ideas with him, creating something that can be used as a decoration for my new house and something that allowed me to think outside of the box and be creative.

In order to provide my students with opportunities to be makers, I need to first remember that we learn by doing. As teachers, we often think we need to "instruct" and have students record their thinking. Instead, we need to provide students will opportunities to be creative, collaborate, and problem solve by testing out solutions. I need to provide my students with time to think, test, and collaborate.

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4. Explain how Papert’s perspective on personal thinking and Courous’ work on growth mindset could be applied to your actions in this activity?

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4. Explain how Papert’s perspective on personal thinking and Courous’ work on growth mindset could be applied to your actions in this activity?

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The task that I completed for the maker assignment is a perfect example of a growth mindset. I have very little experience with power tools and measuring (accurately). These things did not stop me from attempting the succulent shelf. While I knew these were the areas I needed more practice in, I used a growth mindset while pushing forward with the task and asking my husband for help as needed. If I had a fixed mindset, I might have immediately said no to the idea of creating something that would be hung in my living room. I could have purchased something similar or asked someone to build it for me. Instead, I knew that my husband would help me as needed but also encourage me to try using the tools first so I could gain experience and learn how to use them properly. Not only did I create an awesome succulent shelf, but I also learned how to sand using a multi tool sander and how to pull out nails gently so they could be reused in order to keep the originality of the wood.

Papert's perspective on learning can also be applied in the maker assignment. I could have chosen a task off blackboard that is right there in front of me, easy and really requires less effort but instead, I wanted to do something meaningful and something useful to me. Instead of reading about a possible maker task, I thought about something that I like, something I wanted and something I could achieve with a little help. Through this experience I learned a lot more than just how to make a shelf. I learned about myself, and may have even created a new hobby!

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3. What was the most challenging part of the process and how did you work through those challenges (e.g. did you ask for help? Google? Youtube?) In what ways did these challenges prompt you to think about how you might support your own students' challenges? 

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3. What was the most challenging part of the process and how did you work through those challenges (e.g. did you ask for help? Google? Youtube?) In what ways did these challenges prompt you to think about how you might support your own students' challenges? 

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As seen in the following picture, I could not have completed this project without my husband's help. The idea of creating a succulent holder was my own (I'm sure he was thrilled I came up with another project for us to work on). I purchased the succulents and asked him to get me the pallet of wood since he has access to them. I designed the holder after looking at several different options on Google. I also decided where we would place it once we were finished. The most challenging part of the process was using power tools. I am able to use a few on my own but needed his help cutting the wood and drilling some of the holes. While I was happy with using new nails, my husband suggested using the original ones to keep the the wood looking in it's most original state with the rustic vibe that I like.

In thinking about my students and the 4 C's, the concept of collaboration was most important for me to push through the challenges. The ability to bounce ideas off one another, test out possible solutions and problem solve together allowed us to create the succulent holder in an efficient and creative manner.

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2. In what ways can you specifically relate the steps/process you worked through during this activity to the framework you selected? 

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2. In what ways can you specifically relate the steps/process you worked through during this activity to the framework you selected? 

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Critical Thinking- I knew I wanted to create something to hold succulents so I began my search on the internet for ideas. I thought about the space I wanted to put the holder and how high it needed to be (so small human hands couldn't get a hold of it).  I knew I wanted to use pallet wood because I like the rustic look it has. However, the placement of the pallet boards wouldn't work for my design. Instead, we had to cut the pallet down to the size I wanted, then remove and replace the boards in the placement that worked best. This required a lot of critical thinking and problem solving.

Communication-Because I needed my husband's help with some of the tools and getting the pallet, I needed to communicate my idea. I first explained my idea but also drew a design so that he knew what I hoped it would look like when we were finished. Once we had the pallet, we marked areas to cut and where to relocate boards. This required both written and oral communication skills.

Collaboration- Teamwork can sometimes be difficult for me depending on the task and my teammates. I can be a little "controlling"  but the benefit of collaborating with your spouse is that you're not afraid to take risks or disagree. We were able to bounce ideas off each other too.

Creativity- I used the internet to come up with an idea of how the wood would be used to hold the succulents. I never found a picture that had exactly what I imagined in mind but I was able to use parts from different pictures to come up with my own design. We definitely messed up on a piece or two of the boards but we had extras so we could continue and make it how I had imagined.

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1. What framework did you select as the lens for this assignment? Briefly summarize this framework and provide its main elements you referenced. 

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1. What framework did you select as the lens for this assignment? Briefly summarize this framework and provide its main elements you referenced. 

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The Four C's
I used the 4 C's Framework as the lens for my assignment.  The four C's are the most important life skills we need our students to develop- in my opinion.
1. Critical Thinking- In order for us to learn beyond the surface, we must be able to think deeply. Critical thinking is defined as using different types of reasoning- both deductive and inductive. Critical thinking involves identifying an issue or problem and asking questions that can help narrow down a solution.
2. Communication- Communication is defined as the ability to articulate ideas either orally or in written forms while also deciphering information effectively. Communication is not only a skill needed in the workplace but also a general life skill.
3. Collaboration-Teamwork is essential when working towards a significant goal. Collaboration is defined as the ability to work amongst diverse teams, make compromises, contribute ideas and be flexible.
4. Creativity- Can we create without creativity? Creativity is defined both in the way one can think and how to work creatively with others. The ability to brainstorm, improve original ideas, be open to feedback and suggestions and the seeing failure as an opportunity to grow.

The 4 C's- critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity are not new concepts and are not new to instruction. As educators, it is our job to provide opportunities for students to build and utilize these skills so they are better prepared to be productive members of society and to be successful in the work field.

Source: Preparing 21st Century Students for a Global Society:An Educator’s Guide to the “Four Cs”
http://www.nea.org/tools/52217.htm

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Couldn't be happier with the way it turned out! 

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Couldn't be happier with the way it turned out! 

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Thankful for handy husbands who can help!

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Thankful for handy husbands who can help!

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We started with a regular sized pallet. We didn't need many materials other than the pallet, nails, tools, and the succulents. 

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We started with a regular sized pallet. We didn't need many materials other than the pallet, nails, tools, and the succulents. 

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We tried to use as many original nails as possible to keep it looking "rustic"

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We tried to use as many original nails as possible to keep it looking "rustic"

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I love succulents! Mostly because they are the only plants I can keep alive and because they are safe for my son to be around (I used to have a 7 foot cactus but that's not very toddler friendly!)

We just moved into our new home and I've been wanting to decorate our living room, a succulent shelf is exactly what we need! :-)