A few days ago, I took my Year 5 class to the Makerspace for a STEM lesson. The activity was pretty straightforward: combine a few pieces of dowel and plastic to create a racing car, use a couple of rubber bands to add friction to the wheels and then a couple more to create a wind up propulsion system. Easy!
About 30 minutes into the lesson, a couple of groups had finished. They had carefully followed the instructions and developed racers that matched the pictures in the booklet. They also worked exactly as advertised. When I spoke with the group, they were pretty happy to have been successful in the activity but it became clear that something was missing. There was probably the potential to do more but it was going to require a bit of creativity.
Thankfully, there was plenty of time left in the lesson. We had a look at the rest of the materials in the Makerspace and explored how these racers could be made better. Our conversation was quickly influenced by the battery packs, alligator clips and mini motors that were available. Before long, groups were experimenting on the motors to see how they could spin faster. After that, the groups were modifying their racers and, soon enough, they were testing out their Mark 2’s with rubber band acceleration and motorised cruise control. It was so exciting to see the potential of these racers brought out with a bit of creativity.
Attending the Major Works Showcase and Innov8 competition at the beginning of the week also revealed a lot of creativity as students worked to reach their potential. From complicated machinery to elaborate dramatic performances and unique creations designed to be functional whilst eliminating waste, there was certainly a lot to marvel at. What I found truly encouraging however, was the stories behind the designs – many of these revealed a problem that they had found in the outside world and the creativity they had shown in solving the problem to build a major work that had the potential to serve others.
After looking at this showcase, I couldn’t help but be reflective about how great it is to teach at PCS. Many of these major works were made by students that I’ve known since they were in Year 2 or 3. I, like many of our staff, have had the privilege of seeing them unleash their creativity many times throughout Primary School and then continue to reach their potential as they progressed through High School.
God has made us all unique and with purpose. We all have skills and so much potential. I hope you all have an opportunity this week to express your own creativity or appreciate the creativity of others.
Matt
