STEAMkitchen

Makerspaces

Makerspaces as shared spaces where learners can test ideas, work with materials, and transform theoretical knowledge into practical outcomes.

People create, share, and imagine together. Makerspaces invite everyone to take part in shaping how things are made and how they affect our world. They spark innovation, foster entrepreneurship, and encourage dialogue

Bobic, O.-R. (2023). Makerspaces as learning spaces for sustainable development. A systematic literature review. Revista de Ştiinţe Ale Educaţiei, 48(2), 32–45. https://doi.org/10.35923/JES.2023.2.03

Culpepper, M. K., & Gauntlett, D. (2020). Making and learning together: Where the makerspace mindset meets platforms for creativity. Global Studies of Childhood, 10(3), 264–274. https://doi.org/10.1177/2043610620941868

Theories; teaching strategies

Introduction

• What makes a teaching strategy effective, beyond the topic it covers?
• How can theoretical models help you design activities that include more learners – and challenge them meaningfully?
• Which frameworks support you in balancing creativity, structure, and participation?

Self-Determination Theory

Ryan & Deci (2000)

That is a psychological theory that explains what motivates people to behave in certain ways. It proposes that people are naturally driven to grow and master challenges, and this is fueled by the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Moore et al. (2020 ) show that inclusion initiatives become effective and scalable when they are grounded in SDT

the Four Cs

Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, and Communication

Prepare students for complex, real-world challenges

1. Critical Thinking: analyse, evaluate, and synthesise information to solve problems, moving beyond memorised facts. It involves effective reasoning, systems thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving.
2. Creativity: Encourages novel, valuable ideas and approaches, important for handling unfamiliar or constrained situations.
3. Collaboration: Learners work together, sharing diverse strengths and perspectives to co-create solutions. Collaboration and Creativity are equally important in preparing students for college, careers, and diverse workplaces
4. Communication: Involves effectively conveying ideas and meaning, essential for shared understanding, especially in diverse groups. This refers to the ability to process and convey meaning across modes. 

Problem-Based Learning

Engaging with complex, real-world problems rather than receiving direct instruction. Promotes collaboration, critical thinking, self-direction, and effective communication in small groups.

Design Thinking

A human-centred, iterative approach to problem-solving, rooted in professional design practices but robustly adaptable for education. This methodology promotes creativity, user-oriented approaches, and interdisciplinary collaboration and can be used as an active teaching methodology connected to practical skill development and problem solving, and is thus useful in problem-oriented settings with high complexity. (Alvarado, 2025).

Malele, V. & Ramaboka. M.E. (2020) The Design Thinking Approach to students STEAM projects, Procedia CIRP, Vol. 91, 230-236, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2020.03.100.