Lesson Seven: Reflecting & Showcasing Makerspace Projects
Identify ways to reflect and showcase makerspace projects that students create.
When students finish a makerspace challenge or project…they’re not done yet! Ask yourself, “How are my students going to share their learning? How can they reflect on their designs?” In this lesson, we will cover some helpful tips for reflection and sharing student work.
Part of the engineering design process is to reflect and redesign creations. These are two critical pieces that are often skipped due to lack of time or other restraints. Here are some ways to have students reflect on their makerspace creations.
- Have a Makerspace Gallery Walk. Students display their creation on their desk or around the room. Play soft music and invite families, teachers, and admin in to see what your students have made. Display the problem that students were solving on the board and encourage visitors to ask students about their work.
- Have students share a ‘Glow and Grow’ in a whole group, small group, or partner setting. A glow is something that they are proud of. A grow is an area that they can improve in.
- Write a journal refection about your project. What problems did you face? How did you solve them? What would you change? Include a plan to redesign your project.
Here are the names of several apps that can be used to reflect on makerspace projects. Head over to the Technology section to learn more!
- Educreations
- Show Me
- Shadow Puppet
- Videolicious
- Explain Everything
- Showcasing Work
When showcasing work try to think how the work of your students can be shared beyond your classroom. Can your student’s work be shared with experts related to your project? Can their work be shared online?
- Oral presentation in front of the whole class, small group, or partner
- Put on display within classroom or school
- Record a video sharing your work. Upload video to sharing site.
- Write a blog post about your project and include photos/video.
Explain how you want your students to reflect and showcase their makerspace projects.
