Burgundy Middle School
From its inception, Burgundy has educated students in innovative ways, teaching them to learn by doing. So when Middle School Math teacher Lee Bissett began filling his classroom with everyday items to spark critical thinking and inspire creativity within his students, it only made sense to create a makerspace. In this issue, we caught up with Lee to learn more about the importance of maker education and how you can get started today with repurposed or upcycled everyday household items, especially as you begin this year’s spring cleaning!
Q: What are the ingredients of a good maker space?
A: I’ve always been a believer in the idea of using the physical aspects of a classroom as an additional teacher and the same is true of makerspaces. First and foremost, they need to be flexible spaces that encourage different ways of solving problems. As an example, you want to have machines that can build via additive manufacturing, such as a 3D printer, and machines that can build via subtractive manufacturing, like laser engravers or other cutting tools. You also want to have a variety of tools and materials on hand that promote play and creativity. Keeping bins of various materials that students can rifle through when working on projects along with the tools necessary to modify those materials is key. Finally, you want the atmosphere of the space to reflect what its main purpose is - thinking, creating, iterating, and ultimately, making.
Q: Why do you feel these spaces are essential to incorporate in education?
A: Maker education often refers to the engineering design process - identify the problem, research, imagine, plan, test, reflect, iterate, repeat - as the gold standard for the lesson and project design, and it most assuredly is. I would add that beyond only applying to engineering and making, that process is functionally identical to the writing process, the coding process, and so on. Most professional engineers, writers, programmers, architects, musicians, etc. will tell you that most of their creative time is about revising, rewriting, iterating, and so on. Maker education allows students to practice those habits in a hands-on way, thus reinforcing them in other areas of their educational lives.
Q: What are recommendations on tools and resources for beginners?
A: Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need thousands and thousands of dollars worth of equipment to be a good maker. While top-of-the-line 3D printers, laser cutters, and wood tools help, I don’t think they’re always necessary for good projects and ideas. Oftentimes our best creativity comes from not having exactly what we need, so there are some strategic benefits to not having the $1000 single-use tool that you need. So for tools, simple woodworking items, and perhaps a baseline 3D printer is a great place to start. The most important thing to get started is, not surprisingly, mental rather than physical. A maker mindset - believing that “fail” actually means “the first attempt in learning” - goes a long way towards building the resilient and creative thinking required to be a good maker.
To learn more about the Burgundy experience for your child, visit burgundyfarm.org or email us at info@burgundyfarm.org.
About Burgundy
Burgundy Farm Country Day School is a one-of-a-kind independent school for Junior Kindergarten through 8th Grade, believing that children learn best in an inclusive, creative, and nurturing environment that engages the whole child. Burgundy’s innovative, hands-on approach to education cultivates independent thinking, promotes academic excellence, instills respect for diversity, and teaches responsibility for self, for others, and the natural world.
