Meaningful Making 3: Projects and Inspirations for Fab Labs and Makerspaces

Meaningful Making 3 is the third volume of projects and strategies from the Columbia University FabLearn Fellows. This diverse group of leading K–12 educators teach in Fab Labs, makerspaces, classrooms, libraries, community centers, and museums—all with the goal of making learning more meaningful for every child.

A learning revolution is in the making around the world. Enthusiastic educators are using the new tools and technology of the maker movement to give children authentic learning experiences beyond textbooks and tests. The FabLearn Fellows work at the forefront of this movement in all corners of the globe, and this third volume captures the continued momentum of this learning revolution.

In this book, the FabLearn Fellows share all new inspirational lesson ideas, strategies, and recommended projects across a broad range of age levels. The projects in this collection utilize a wide range of modern tools such as laser cutters and 3D printers, plus coding, AI, crafts and traditional tools and materials — and discussions of how these can best be used to enhance learning. Additionally, the Fellows discuss their experiences and successes with remote and hybrid learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting how these newfound strategies have found a lasting place in their classrooms and makerspaces.

What sets many of these projects apart is a connection to local cultures, an emphasis on sustainability through reuse and recycling, and their homage to age-old crafts and traditions. Illustrated with color photos of real student work, the Fellows take you on a tour of the future of learning, where children make sense of the world by making things that matter to them and their communities.

To read this book is to rediscover learning as it could be and should be—a joyous, mindful exploration of the world, where the ultimate discovery is the potential of every child.