Students utilizing the FabLAb at Colegio Interamericano de Guatemala. (Photo source: Ericka Artiga)
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Imagine the future: Owen is considered one of the most brilliant people in scientific history. Katia has revolutionized transportation worldwide with her new approach to mobility and drones. Fabián’s robots have taken the technology industry to a whole new level and Marcela’s algorithm has allowed space engineers to understand the universe in a different way.
What did all these students have in common?
They were able to explore their scientific skills and creative thinking at a very early age, by spending time and learning from others at the FabLab, our Makerspace at Colegio Interamericano in Guatemala (Inter).
Makerspaces respond to the Constructionism learning theory, which shares constructivism’s definition of learning as “building knowledge” and adds to this the idea that this happens especially in a context where the learners are engaged in designing, making, and tinkering solutions to real world problems. Makerspaces or FabLabs have become those physical contexts for unlimited imagination and creation.
Valuable learning experiences can be achieved through making and tinkering. In the FabLab at Inter, students benefit from self-directed learning, building up collective knowledge, and are encouraged to use flexible, creative thinking.
The FabLab provides Owen, Katia, Fabián, and Marcela opportunities for learning to be applied and their competency to be increased, to tackle complex problems while fueling their curiosity. They are learning a variety of skills and ways of thinking that will help them become better learners and better people.
Imagine the future: A generation of Makers.
Our world wants go-getters. It wants designers, creators, and dreamers. It wants builders and thinkers. It wants innovators who will ask, “Why not?” - Marcela Billingslea, Inter class of 2022.
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Ericka is the Technology Integration Specialist at Colegio Interamericano de Guatemala
