Why does your school need a makerspace? Why do they matter? When Michael and a colleague opened their first campus makerspace in 2015, it wasn’t because they thought 3D printers and sewing machines were cool (but let’s be honest: they are). Their goal was to create an interdisciplinary space, grounded in sound research and practice, with the goal of helping students repair their damaged relationship with learning.

What we know from research is simple: By the time students make it to college, they’ve taken an average of 112 standardized tests. This relentless testing distorts their view of what learning is and how it works, increasing a student’s anxiety and decreasing their willingness to learn new things that may be hard to master. Maker education and makerspaces represent one approach to confront and disrupt these unhealthy habits, and help students reset their relationship with learning.

In this talk, Michael will share the two year journey he and a colleague took to start their first campus makerspace, lessons learned along the way, and the educational philosophy he’s developed that establishes makerspaces as an essential element of every school.

If you’ve ever considered starting a makerspace at your school, or are having trouble communicating the value of a makerspace to your colleagues, you should absolutely attend.

This is a free event and open to the public, although we ask that you please RSVP.

Navigation devices and software can use Brady Street, Knoxville, TN for the Knox Maker entrance.

Knox Makers is a place for the Knoxville area’s engineers, artists, hobbyists, innovators, educators and entrepreneurs to work and play. We are a technology and art collective dedicated to the promotion of creativity enabled and informed by science. Our lectures, workshops, and outreach programs inspire and educate both members and the general public. Our workshop provides members with both the space for large projects and the tools to complete them. We are a non-profit educational organization supported by member dues and staffed by volunteers.