Inspired by my architecture studies at UC Berkeley, I am passionate about giving students a safe space to explore their creativity.
How to Create a Safe “Maker” Space:
Guide simple art projects to develop visual and design skills.
Encourage open-ended challenges, like making arcade games from cardboard or designing a phone case from recycled materials.
Use the design-thinking process and/or STEAM team building activities.
Teach responsible innovation. For example, around Halloween, many kids know the story of Frankenstein. This is a great way to discuss how creators must take responsibility for their inventions—unchecked creativity can have real consequences.
Explore ethical questions in innovation that kids can understand. For instance, robots, machines, and AI are powerful, but how do we ensure they are kind and safe for humans?
By providing safe spaces for innovation, we empower students to imagine and create a better world.
As Steven Wolk said in 2007: “By helping children develop social imagination, we give them the skills, civic courage, and boldness to envision a better world. If we want better communities—from the local to the global—then we must help children imagine a better world so that we can act together to make that world a reality.” (Why Go to School? Phi Delta Kappan, 88, 648-658).
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