MAKERSPACE
Faculty of Social Sciences – The Department of Didactics and Comparative Education, together with external partners: the Foundation ALE Nauczanieand AKCES Education,have opened a space of methodological innovations named MAKERSPACE.
We created a methodological workshop for future teachers of pre-school and early education to create new ideas, look for impulses to discover the positive side of teaching and learning. We invite all persons who are optimistic, courageous, inspired by solutions recognized in the world, looking for interesting and often fun forms and methods of education. We will post information about our work here. WELCOME!
Creation is a multi-step process. First, a prototype is created, which is later modified and improved to obtain the best solution. Thanks to its simplicity and intuitiveness, the LEGO® building system is an ideal tool for prototyping. Every idea can be easily transformed and tested, and all you need is just a handful of blocks.
In order to use the creative potential of the child, the possibilities of their imagination, to satisfy the natural curiosity at the stage of pre-school and early school education six LEGO Education bricks are worth using. Only 6 blocks, and dozens of possibilities of a diverse concept of duck visualization. Let’s see what students created during classes in socio-natural Education. Each duck was different – unique, just like every child in the group.
On 8.11.2019, a training on 'LEGO® Education in the kindergarten’ took place at the headquarters of our university. The workshop was conducted by the trainer, Ms. Iga Malik. The participants as part of the design methods had the opportunity to build and design LEGO Education bricks (including the railway infrastructure with a running railway seen in the photos). The participants learned that thanks to the use of LEGO® Education, it is possible (thanks to the use of the poly-sensory teaching method) to reach each student, supporting his individual development and helping him to achieve success.
Dean’s Proxy for methodological innovations in pre-school and early education: Elżbieta Bednarz, PhD
The MAKERSPACE studio is located on the second floor of the Academy building.
On 3.12.2019 The Faculty of Social Sciences of the Christian Theological Academy and the Foundation ALE Nauczanie – a substantive partner of the program for kindergartens 'Ambassador of Friendly Education’ and AKCES Education – organized a methodical and training conference entitled ’MAKERSPACE – continuity of creation and learning with LEGO® Education’. The conference was combined with the opening of a methodological innovation workshop in pre-school and early education at the Faculty of Social Sciences – Makerspace.
The conference was opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Renata Nowakowska-Siuta.
In the first part of the conference, an extremely interesting lecture on 'What is known about the development of advances of skills for science and natural sciences in preschool children: myths, research results, pedagogical recommendations’ was delivered by Prof. Edyta Gruszczyk-Kolczyńskafrom The Maria Grzegorzewska University in Warsaw.
The message of the lecture corresponded with the concept of MAKERSPACE, a space of creativity in which children can design their own solutions, realize new ideas, and teachers use activating working methods, gaining a fresh look at education.
After a brief presentation of the operation of LEGO® Education system by Ms. Iga Malik, trainer of the LEGO® Education Academy, and an approximation of the principles of MAKERSPACE and the idea of the Ambassador of Friendly Education by Mr. MichałŚliwiński, the participants of the conference went to the workshop rooms, where the tasks were focused on the topics:
- Steam – driven by fun
- Design thinking with WeDo 2.0;
- Get yourself into the simple machines
- The turn to coding
Learning through play, using LEGO® Education blocks, is an interesting and inspiring form of education for preschoolers and pupils of grades I-III, but also for older students. As you can see in the pictures, teachers – participants of the workshops – had an equally good time.
