Creative space design can be subjective based on the user, however, common themes seem to be present. Comfortable seating, writeable wall space to collaborate, meeting spaces that are magnets for collaboration, flexible and open to change. Many of what I would consider innovative or creative design is rooted on natural and organisational culture. Innovative oragnisations reflect their business culture in their space. An important step in designing and developing a creative or innovative space is to seek input and feedback from the user group. It has been a goal of mine to have makerspaces created in the transformed learning commons. The learning commons is a student magnet, students love to visit the space with flexible furniture, with various seating options.

I work for a non-for profit publicly funded school board, not a for profit business where profits and revenues are the primary goal, student achievement and wellbeing are at the heart of my work. If I consider what schools need to include to get students excited to walk through the doors each morning, I think of Google’s work place. Slides, hover boards, bike paths, rejuvenation stations, micro kitchens, cafes and outdoor work spaces. Schools do have collaborative work areas with flexible furniture where students can occasionally visit when their class has time booked in the learning commons. Students have some opportunities to play outdoors during recess and enjoy breakfast program. My mind is filled with many other ways that educators can transform their classroom, time table and program to be an engaging, exciting and fun place to learn everyday.

Students are able to tap into their creative juices through the implementation of a makerspace. I understand a makerspace to be the activity of making something or being a maker. It can include physically making something such as wood work, prototyping or cooking to technically coding/making something such as a computer program or robotics. I am excited to work with schools to develop a makerspace this school year 18/19. I think in order for a makerspace to be successful educators need to have an open mindset to allow students to explore and create based on their interests. Student learning can be documented in a portfolio, whereby, students share what they learned, what problems they encountered, their initial goals, and reflect on where they ended up. It is the educators role to deliver the curriculum, however, allowing space for students to explore within the curriculum can provide a rich opportunity for student engagement and unleash creativity. Students are in charge of their learning, not the teachers in the maker movement. The responsibility for learning is on the student, students learn that its ok to break things and intrinsically are motivated to learn.

Maker movement is a way of thinking, learning by doing, that fosters creativity, innovation and challenges students to invent and explore. Students can adopt the attitude of “not yet”, by continuing to preserver, developing multiple drafts and not giving up until their goal is achieved. Makers collaborate to share and ask questions of each other. Makers find multiple solutions to a problem, improving each attempt. The Learning Exchange has a great bank of resources, currently highlighting innovation, creativity and curiosity.  EduGains has many resources developed for Ontario educators to access titled, Innovative Environments, Global Competencies, Digital, Digital Learning, Experiential Learning and Makerspaces.