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Internship Proposal L Caplan
Internship Proposal L Caplan
Lauren Caplan
Loyola University
2017 – 2018
“I want us all to think about new and creative ways to engage young people in science and
engineering, whether it’s science festivals, robotics competitions, fairs that encourage young
people to create and build and invent—to be makers of things, not just consumers of things.”
Overview
stakeholders from all areas of the school to establish a makerspace and create a culture of
Objectives
• Develop and facilitate a vertical innovation team that supports teachers throughout the
• Establish a maker culture in our school amongst teachers and students by promoting
Rationale
As an original BCPS Lighthouse School, Mays Chapel Elementary, has always been a
leader in the county offering a quality education and implementing current technologies
effectively. Currently, there is a new movement in education towards creativity and STEM-based
making, which is known as maker learning. According to Laura Fleming, author of Worlds of
Making, “The Maker Movement is about moving from consumption to creation and turning
knowledge into action” (p.7). This movement aligns perfectly with the core beliefs of the
Partnership for 21st Century Skills, which state that creativity, critical thinking, communication,
and collaboration are essential to prepare students for the future. Martinez and Stager emphasize
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the importance of using a makerspace to prepare students for the future, because it “offers the
potential today for students to engage in the real work of mathematicians, scientists, composers,
educators, “we have an obligation to build upon the technological fluency the students bring to
us, expand learning opportunities, and amplify human potential” (p. 191). In order for our school
to remain on the cutting-edge of education and to provide the best possible learning experience
for our students we will need to join in on the maker learning revolution.
The maker movement has direct connections to the BCPS curriculum, especially within
the new science curriculums for grades K-5 that are based on the Next Generation Science
Standards (NGSS). In third grade, students will design and construct a device to keep sediment
from washing into the stream, design a house which will withstand hurricane force winds, and
build a car to keep an egg safe. In fourth grade, students will design and test methods to best
protect Marylanders from a potential natural disaster, and design their own method of collecting
trash. In fifth grade, students will design rocket fuel as well as a sub-orbital launch vehicle to test
the fuel, build a sundial, and create a prototype solution to a local problem. These curriculum
There is also a shift coming from the BCPS science office in regards to the county-wide
STEM fair. This year, we will be moving away from the traditional STEM fair format, which
towards a more innovative Maker Faire that will provide opportunities for students to showcase
Daniel W. Surry (1997) discussed the important role that the Theory of Perceived
Attributes (Rogers, 1995) plays in the adoption of innovative practices. Surry (1997) explained
that, “an innovation will experience an increased rate of diffusion if potential adopters perceive
that the innovation: 1) Can be tried on a limited basis before adoption; 2) Offers observable
results; 3) Has an advantage relative to other innovations (or the status quo); 4) is not overly
complex; and 5) Is compatible with existing practices and values.” When implementing a new
change, it is important to analyze the likelihood of adoption with these five perceived attributes.
Trialability. Before adopting the movement, we had several steps in place in order to get
our feet wet with maker learning and build up to full school implementation. We knew that
several other elementary schools in Baltimore County were successfully implementing maker
learning into their curriculum with their students. Some schools even created a maker or STEM
special area for students to attend each week along in addition to the regular specials, like art,
music, library, and physical education. Teachers in kindergarten through second grade, including
myself who piloted the new fifth grade science curriculum, were able to try out maker learning
with our students while teaching the new science lessons. Our school also had the unique
opportunity to host the BCPS Mobile Innovation Lab for one week in June of 2017. During this
weeklong residency, each classroom in grades 1 through 5 were introduced to a variety of age
Observability. We are able to collect data regarding the amount of time that teachers are
accessing the maker lab during the school day by checking the sign up calendar. We can see
evidence of maker learning occurring in classrooms through observations, and by asking teachers
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to share examples of maker learning on Twitter using the hashtag, maysmakes. We will be able
to assess the growth of teachers via surveys at the start and end of the school year.
Relative advantage. Joining the maker movement is better than the status quo, since
students can explore their passions and curiosity by extending their learning with hands-on
problem-solving activities. Maker learning will give our students an outlet for expressing their
creativity and engineering skills in ways they may not have had the opportunity to do before.
Complexity. This initiative is not overly complex. Teachers will be made aware that
making does not need to involve complex machinery or robotics equipment. Making can be as
simple as building a structure with recycled materials and masking tape. Many teachers will get
opportunities to implement maker learning in a more structured way through the new science
curriculum. To help teachers meet with success, we will need to model examples of meaningful
maker activities, familiarize everyone with the engineering design process, and offer examples of
Compatibility. This initiative is compatible with existing practices because students will
be using the same process to complete maker activities as they will throughout the BCPS science
curriculum. Teachers in our building understand what good teaching and learning is, and this
Plan of Action
This change is a long process, and we are allowing ourselves three years to reach full
implementation. In the next three years, we will establish a maker environment where students
live curiously through authentic opportunities to think critically, communicate, collaborate, and
create.
The Plan
We will transform our current STEM lab into our new makerspace. We will start by
organizing materials from all of the old science kits and throwing away unnecessary materials.
Then, as the year progresses, we will allow the students to take ownership of the space and help
design it.
In addition to the makerspace that we will be creating, I will also develop a way for
maker learning to be more accessible for all teachers by building a mobile maker cart that
contains many necessary materials for a teacher to use within their own classroom. This is a
great solution to save the teachers’ time, provide a starting place for teachers, and allow maker
learning to go on even when the makerspace is not available. I will be in charge of replenishing
I will be a co-leader of the Innovation Action Team consisting of one teacher from each
grade level, special area teachers, support staff, and our administrative team. As co-leader, I will
plan and facilitate the monthly meetings and demonstrate a positive attitude, flexibility, and
creative thinking. Together with the innovation team, I will support all teachers with
incorporating maker learning into their instruction and finding curriculum connections. We will
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showcase grade-level projects at the first annual Maker Faire in the spring. I will document my
process, progress, and reflections via a blog within my internship portfolio on Weebly.
In addition to this plan, our school will be taking a big step towards the culture of making
by adding an “innovation special” into the rotation along with the existing specials, which
include art, music, physical education, and library media. This innovation special will be offered
to all students in grades two and three. Two of our current part time special area teachers will be
taking on the new role of facilitating this new special that will take place in our new makerspace.
Strategies. Some strategies and activities that we will use to meet our objectives are: 1)
Visit other schools with established makerspaces in order to learn new ideas and share resources;
2) Share tips and ideas during faculty meetings or during “Tips for Tech” Tuesdays; 3) Offer
learning walks and opportunities for teachers to observe maker learning throughout our building;
4) Establish schoolwide expectations and procedures for using the makerspace or maker
materials; 5) Building out, monitoring, and adapting procedures and use of space as the year
progresses; 6) Involve parents and the school community; 7) Offer online webinars or office mix
presentations to share new information with teachers; 8) The innovation team will share personal
successes with maker learning in order to motivate teachers; 9) Acquire materials through
donations from PTO, families, business partnerships, or other methods; 10) Create a “make and
take” project for each grade level that is ready to go; 11) Develop general, grade-level
Assistance. I will make myself available to all teachers by appointment before or after
school in order to offer help throughout the process. The innovation team will offer professional
Evaluation. I plan to evaluate the participants’ learning by: 1) Collecting data on class
visits to the makerspace; 2) Requiring at least one maker project per grade level with curriculum
connections that can be showcased at our school’s Maker Faire in the spring; 3) Sending out a
needs assessment to the staff via Google Forms; 4) Reviewing Twitter posts by teachers at our
Timeline
Vision: We will establish an environment where students live curiously through authentic
opportunities to think critically, communicate, collaborate, and create.
Innovation Action Team Meetings (8-9 am) : 9/27, 10/18, 11/8, 12/13, 1/10, 2/14, 3/14, 4/11,
and 5/9
Phase 1: Preparation
• Support:
Brownlee
• Principal and/or
Assistant
Principal(s)
Present during faculty meeting: TLT, Innovation 9/20 Creation of PD
• Define the maker movement Action Team Planning Outline with
for MCES: share the mission Leaders next steps
& vision
• Make connections to our
STAT transformation
• Highlight the importance of
curriculum connections to
content in reading, math, and
P21 skills
• What maker is and what it is
not
• Initial procedural
guidelines/protocol for the
lab and materials
Innovation Action Team Meeting: TLT, Innovation 9/27 The team will
• Goal-setting and Action Team prioritize our set of
prioritizing of goals goals.
• What makes a good Each team member
prompt? will contribute a
• Curriculum connections minimum of 3
for each grade level curriculum
connections for their
grade level or special
area.
Innovation Action Team Meeting: TLT, Innovation 10/18
• Review curriculum Action Team
connections
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References
Fleming, L. (2015). Worlds of Making: Best Practices for Establishing a Makerspace for Your
Martinez, S.L., & Stager, G., Ph.D. (2013). Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and
Surry, Daniel W. Diffusion theory and instructional technology. (1997, February 20).