Making for school and teaching

February 5, 2024

The collaborative initiative MakEd_digital, led by the Professional School of Education Stuttgart-Ludwigsburg (PSE), reached its conclusion at the end of 2023. It was part of the teacher training quality campaign and was funded by the BMBF. As part of the PSE initiative, makerspaces have been established at various locations through the project, and they will be maintained.

At the project's conclusion, the PSE teams involved celebrated their collective achievements, including the makerspace birthday celebration (Happy Birthday, Makerspace!), the successful organization of the Maker Education Conference 2023, sustainable teaching collaborations, and the noteworthy visit from the Minister of Science, Research, and the Arts of Baden-Württemberg, Petra Olschowski, in September 2023. The makerspace with its pedagogical and didactic focus is now a model for other teacher training locations. Given the tremendous success and substantial demand, all project participants have expressed an interest in maintaining close collaboration in the future," states Prof. Christine Sälzer, from the Institute of Educational Science at the University of Stuttgart (IFE) and co-director of PSE Stuttgart-Ludwigsburg.

Makerspace at the University of Stuttgart

Makerspaces to remain at the university

The makerspaces at the University of Stuttgart and the Ludwigsburg University of Education will remain and are open to all members of the PSE network universities.

The project managers at the University of Stuttgart express gratitude for the invaluable support provided by the KSB Foundation. This support will enable the establishment of a cutting-edge media center, complete with an audio-video studio, motion capture facilities, and VR/AR areas, set to be incorporated into the Makerspace in 2024. This means that the space can be used in even more varied and practical ways in schools.

Emphasizing pedagogical-didactic making

The emphasis is on integrating making into university teaching - which is usually great fun for all involved and generates lots of new ideas for interactive teaching. For instance, the effective engagement of student assistants as staff has proven successful. They adeptly showcase impressive making projects in an engaging manner, demonstrating how making can bring about lasting changes in teaching and, most importantly, learning processes. The focus on pedagogical-didactic making is one of the great strengths of the MakEd_digital project, which will continue to distinguish the space in the future," explains Dr. Andreas Just, IFE and PSE.

Diverse, easily accessible entry options for students from all disciplines have the potential to facilitate direct participation in educational processes for a broader audience. This approach provides opportunities for experiencing self-efficacy and prepares future educators well for the digitalized (school) world.

Christine Sälzer welcomes interested parties: "We look forward to welcoming our graduates again in the future, as teachers in the makerspaces - perhaps even with their school classes."

MAKERSPACE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF STUTTGART

Contact

If you are interested in integrating the University of Stuttgart's Makerspace into your teaching or seeking ideas for pedagogical-didactic making, please contact the Makerspace.

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