Educators already use makerspaces equipped with tools such as 3D printers, scanners and laser cutters to help students learn practical skills such as coding and design, problem-solving, and collaboration. But what about supporting an entire school transformation?
That’s what’s happening at Anderson Elementary, a pre-K–6 school in Bristol, Tenn.
Four years ago, when Ginger Christian became the principal of Anderson Elementary, the school had clear challenges.
“Our proficiency levels were dismal,” Christian recalled in a session Wednesday at the 2020 Future of Education Technology Conference in Miami. “Our behavior office discipline referrals were through the roof.”
Teachers were angry and morale was low, she said. “Together, we had to choose to have a journey to transform our school,” Christian said.
Christian proposed creating makerspaces in the school as a…
