A growing body of research indicates elementary and high school students benefit from hands-on exposure to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and approaches. Yet well-prepared teachers who can make this happen are in critically short supply in Oklahoma and much of the rest of the country.
“Developing a pipeline of conscientious, highly qualified teachers – as well as classroom volunteers, parents and other education stakeholders – who know how to bring STEM to life for K-12 students is a pressing educational priority,” said Josh Corngold, chair of TU’s Department of Education. Launched in fall 2023, the Kelble Makerspace in Chapman Hall is rising to this challenge.
In addition to shelving, work benches, chairs, and whiteboards, there are abundant prototyping materials, such as notecards, tape, craft sticks, cardboard, and fabric for transforming ideas into visible, low-tech, consumable models. Once the room is fully up and running, users will have access to equipment such as a sewing machine, 3D printer, laser cutter, pliers, screwdrivers, hammers, and saws.
Critical thinking and creativity
Assistant Professor of Education Helen Douglass is the Kelble Makerspace’s inaugural director and the driving force behind its creation.
“Right from the start, my colleagues and I envisioned this facility as an interdisciplinary zone where critical thinking and creativity would be foregrounded,” Douglass said. A main goal is to enable the creation and execution of “maker-oriented integrated lessons” that students can deploy during their field experiences and eventual work in schools and elsewhere.
According to Douglass, the makerspace was designed as “an intersection between formal and informal learning.” She underscores the social importance of this orientation, noting that informal STEM experiences “have often been how underrepresented students have learned content; we are, therefore, innovating with how teachers are prepared by including abundant informal spaces and methods in order to leverage the assets of all students.”
Broad appeal and relevance
The Kelble Makerspace is at the heart of the department’s recently launched STEM education minor. It is also available for students enrolled in Design Thinking for Schools and Communities and Introduction to STEM Education who are majoring in other disciplines but have an interest in STEM education.
Looking ahead, Douglass and Corngold foresee expanding its reach to students in other courses and programs, such as the applied design thinking minor. With an eye on community-focused education, they are eager to eventually welcome in-service teachers and parents to specialized STEM education workshops.
An open house was held on Nov. 3 to show off the Kelble Makerspace to alumni and visitors. This 2023 TU Homecoming event was an ideal moment to acknowledge that this innovative zone was made possible through the generosity of the daughters of Eileen Kelble (EdD ’74), an alumna of and much-loved education professor.