This stuff all around us? It was invented and built by people. And we'd like to think it was invented and built by people no smarter than we are. So why can't we invent and build stuff too? What makes us think we need some sort of special tool belt? Some special gene? Some special studio? There's absolutely no reason why can't we start right here and right now. No reason at all.
STEAMmaker Camp is intense and immersed professional learning where teachers, alongside their own students, learn how to shift from teaching in a typical STEM classroom to create and operate a MakerSpace in their own schools. This is all about being hands-on.
At STEAMmaker Camp, teams of teachers and students come together to experience a MakerSpace event. Various modules are included on a rotation, such as 3D modeling and design; circuitry; robotics designing/coding/programming; music producer; wearable technology, and more. Each camp can be customized by module to fit the length of the camp, the number of participants, and the needs of the client.
Teachers leave a STEAMmaker Camp KNOWING how a MakerSpace can be managed; UNDERSTANDING how a MakerSpace operates regarding time, space, activities, materials, and academic learning; and ready to begin BUILDING their own programs in their own schools with a seed set of students who all have a common understanding of operation and the exciting engagement.
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Our foundational belief is that teachers teach how they are taught. If we want teachers to teach from a foundation of learning by doing, then we want to provide professional learning in that same, or a very similar, way.
STEAMmaker Camp is intentionally designed to replicate the highs and lows teachers might encounter with students over a year long program. Therefore, each camp is best designed as a multi-day event with each day running longer than the typical school day. This causes students to “hit the wall” that typically surfaces in the third quarter of school and teachers can experience how to remain positive and supportive in this type of environment, especially when they are also very tired. A trainer balances the fine line of guiding, role modeling, and directly instructing the participants, based on their individual and unique needs.
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