Using STEAM Powered by Maker Education to “Maximize Active, Deep Learning” for my Future Students

When I was a high school student, the knowledge that I retained the most was in the Industrial Arts and Art classes that I took. In Industrial Arts, I learned woodworking skills and built a wooden toolbox, over forty years ago, that my mother uses every day. In the Arts class, I learned how to fire clay, to create art pieces using string and nails, and making a purse for my mother out of leather, that she still uses occasionally. The reason these two classes impacted me so, is that not only was I learning by being traditionally taught, but that I was also using the skills I was being taught in combination with my own imagination, which means the vivid memories I have of those two courses shows the impact that learning and making something tangible make learning deeper and longer lasting. My desire is that my students will use the skills and knowledge they learn in class, to create real objects that they can see, feel, and share with their fellow students, family, and friends. In a history class, I would have students create a medieval fortress out of cardboard, period clothing using old clothing, a suit of armor using aluminum foil and cardboard, or anything else that they can think of. Although there is a heavy emphasis on writing within the Social Science, I would also have students use a combination of Pixton, Scratch, Tinkercad, and ScreenPal, to create video presentations about their writing, which means that the video presentation will help students improve learning and writing skills. This is how I plan on using STEAM Powered by Maker Education to “Maximize Active, Deep Learning.”