Photograph by Sophia Rodriguez-Bell
The Longfellow Middle School Makerspace is a new facility that aims to help students engage with science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) subjects through project-based learning. Established this year in Longfellow’s old cafeteria, the Makerspace is the site of a new Makers Lab elective course, led by Teacher Matt Hinckley.
Thus far, Hinckley said the course has been a success. 25 students have participated in woodworking, paper crafts, and hand sewing, and upcoming lessons will focus on machine sewing and robotics. The class is currently building a shed for the school garden.
The Makerspace was created with the help of several partners. The Berkeley Public Schools Fund (BPSF) initiated the project, and provided a grant of $11,900 to equip the space. Maker Ed, a national nonprofit that supports maker education, is consulting with Longfellow about project plans and lesson strategies. BPSF Executive Director Erin Rhoades said that the Makerspace provides opportunities for students with diverse learning styles to engage with STEAM material in different ways. In addition, the new program aims to support the adoption of the Common Core curriculum and the Next Generation Science Standards, the new math and science curricula in BUSD schools.
Longfellow science classes have used Makerspace materials for several projects this year. All students participated in a mini book binding unit to make their own science notebooks. Eighth grade science classes also did a catapult engineering project using tools and supplies from the makerspace. In the future, Hinckley said, “We’d really like to expand those types of projects, especially within science and math classes, but to make it available to all teachers.”
Outside of class, the Longfellow after school program has used Makerspace materials to start a sewing class, and the after school skateboard club constructed practice ramps with woodworking tools.
The Makerspace has yet to be fully furnished according to its design, but Rhoades said this gradual development process is intentional.
“A Makerspace is not something that all of a sudden you buy all this equipment and furnish the space and say ‘here you go,’” she said. “It’s supposed to be something that develops slowly and it can go a lot of different directions, so it’s more about what do the students want to do with it, what kinds of activities or projects do they want to be able to work on and complete in the space.”
In the fall, Longfellow community members constructed work tables, and the school continues to gather Makerspace tools and materials. “The elective class gets better and better as we get more materials throughout the year,” Hinckley said.
According to Hinckley, the old cafeteria is set to be remodeled and transformed formally into a project learning classroom. He is excited to expand the Makerspace program.