I have always been in love with learning. I crave the amazement and satisfaction that come from the revelation of new knowledge and perspectives. I didn’t really understand this until I was in college and was able to choose my courses and paths to learning. Because of this passion, I became a teacher. I wanted to spark the same interest for learning in my students. Teaching was overwhelming. It was frustrating. It was also incredibly fun and rewarding. I taught in classrooms for five years (3 ½ in sixth grade). When I started, I was focused on following the curriculum that was passed down to me and making sure I was “doing it right.” The longer I taught, however, I found that students were more engaged and curious when we veered off in directions that were relevant and interesting to them. It was when I gave them time to discover their own conclusions that sparked the love of learning in them that I found myself.
When I moved out of state a few years ago, I decided to pursue museum education and became an educator at a local science center. This is how I became passionate about maker education/STEM/STEAM/PBL. The organization emphasized discovery through hands-on learning and it triggered my interest in learning through experience. I loved seeing the excitement and engagement that occurred when I facilitated prototyping and experimenting rather than lecturing and leading them down a narrow path of exploration and content.
I believe our job as educators is to spark student curiosity, and guide students to help them discover their own unique passions.
Over the years I have gotten the opportunity to work in a variety of positions in schools and museums. I have written curriculum, led summer camps, taught preschool through eighth graders, and run education programs like Girls in STEM. I love working with educators who want to empower and engage their students in learning.
Lindsay SimmonsIntegrating making into literacy instruction engages learners and can cultivate many essential twenty-first-century skills such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and a growth mindset. In this session, participants will learn about the benefits of infusing making into literacy instruction and even experience their own version of it with some hands-on making.
Lindsay SimmonsDuring this virtual workshop, educators will get an orientation to their MackinMaker Gamified Kit and receive an overview of how the challenges can align and connect to content area learning and ISTE Standards. At the end of this 75-minute session, educators will understand the unique elements of the kit and feel ready to facilitate exploration as students complete challenges and play to learn.
Lindsay SimmonsIn this full-day, interactive workshop, we will start by exploring the research behind how maker education and gamified learning not only engage but can foster creativity and innovation through problem solving. Educators will get an orientation to their MackinMaker Gamified Kit, spend time exploring the new making tools included in their specific kit, and dive into how the challenges can align and connect to content area learning and ISTE Standards.
Lindsay SimmonsThe Makey Makey Invention Literacy Workshop is a fun, hands-on learning experience where educators will learn how to teach Invention Literacy, Making, and Design Thinking using the award-winning Makey Makey invention literacy kit. They will experience the benefits of creating as part of the learning experience and discuss ways this tool could be integrated into instruction.
Lindsay SimmonsThe maker movement might be a more familiar practice in the library space, but it is a mindset that needs to be cultivated throughout any school. Maker education teaches collaboration, a growth mindset, creativity, problem solving, and many other crucial skills that they need to be successful in the twenty-first century. In this session, participants will be introduced to integrating maker education into classroom subjects and how this can be an effective way of teaching that celebrates the diverse learning styles and needs of our students.
Lindsay SimmonsThis custom, hands-on workshop gives educators an opportunity to explore the products that they have available to them in their makerspaces. Once they learn how the tools can be used, Mackin Learning works with teachers to discover creative ways to integrate these new tools into what they are already doing in their classrooms or libraries to propel student learning. This session is perfect for schools with a new makerspace, or schools with a makerspace that is not currently being utilized. **It is highly recommended that this workshop is paired with an additional maker education workshop so educators have an understanding of this practice prior to learning the products.
Lindsay SimmonsAs we continue our movement into the 21st century, we know there is an increased need for collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and complex problem solving. All these skills demand a high level of flexibility and creativity. So, how do we begin to provide these opportunities for our students in meaningful ways? In this session, we will explore why making is imperative to prepare our students for their futures and some of the avenues of making that can be employed in the school space.
This is the second part in a series on my favorite tools to use in the makerspace. There are many factors to consider when starting a makerspace. Before implementing anything, some of the questions you will...
There are many factors to consider when starting a makerspace. Before implementing anything, some of the questions you will want to explore are: What do your students care about? What engages your students?...
Starting a makerspace can feel overwhelming. And, because maker education is still a relatively new concept (although the theory behind it has been around for much longer), it can be difficult to find answers to...
I have a confession. Growing up, I didn’t enjoy science. As an adult looking back on my science classes, I can see that I didn’t like it because I couldn’t dig into science as much as I wanted. There...
One of my favorite courses in my art history graduate school program was Museum Studies. It was one of the only classes I took that felt extremely applicable to me as I considered a career in the museum...
When I worked at a children’s science center, my favorite time of the year was summer camp season. We ran seven weeks of summer camps every year for kids in first through eighth grade, with the goal of engaging...
One of the myths of making that I addressed last month was if you want a makerspace, you need expensive tools. Low-tech tools and recyclables are some of my favorite materials. I find that it can...
Before I started facilitating regular maker experiences in my classroom, I had quite a few reasons in mind for not pursuing this type of instruction. I didn’t think I had the right space set up. I didn’t think I...
I can still remember the groans I would hear when I told my sixth graders it was time to learn about poetry. Poetry often brings out emotion, although as their ELA teacher, I have to admit that I was hoping for...
True, deep learning involves risk taking. It involves trial and error. Sometimes we must ask for help, and it doesn’t always come easily. Therefore, if we don’t spend time building positive relationships with...
When I first started facilitating making experiences with students, one of the challenges I found was that I didn’t really know how to plan for this type of learning. I was comfortable with teacher-centered...
While I have always had a passion for student engagement and relationship-building, when I first started classroom teaching, I took a more traditional pedagogical approach. As many new teachers do, I started my...