NEW HAVEN — Local educators expressed their belief Monday that one of the most important things to emphasize in curriculum has been in schools for a long time.
They call them makerspaces, and they’re hardly new. Richard Therrien, supervisor for science in New Haven Public Schools, said makerspaces have been known by many names in education, such as woodshop, industrial arts and tech education, but the function of creating and engineering solutions is an attractive way forward in a knowledge-based economy.
Medria Blue-Ellis, principal of the Engineering and Science University Magnet School, which moved into a new building this year in West Haven on the University of New Haven campus, said the school’s model and facilities reflect a hands-on approach to teaching that is not new, but is catching steam.
“We knew we wanted to have a school that used the…