At a time when children are inundated with standardized tests, there is a resurgence to bring tools and materials back into the hands of students.
Sweeping the globe and in districts across Rockland, Westchester and Putnam counties are traditional classroom settings being supplemented with “makerspaces” — modern workshops filled with technology such as 3-D printers, electronic gadgets, coding software and woodworking.
“This is something new and something old all at the same time,” said Sylvia Libow Martinez, of California, co-author of the book “Invent to Learn,” which advises schools on how to transform classrooms into makerspaces. “Schools are building makerspaces in reaction to the maker movement and to counter a feeling that kids aren’t getting enough hands-on experience with the world.”
For example, in Scarsdale, workshops have been incorporated into…