Making.together – Systemically Supporting Schools in Setting up a Makerspace A Practical Report from a Process-Accompanying Perspective on the Implementation of ‹Makerhubs› at Eleven Schools in Hamburg

Abstract

The Digitisation Unit of the Hamburg School Authority has motivated and enabled eleven schools to set up their own makerspaces. The project started in summer 2021 and ended in summer 2023. Participating schools received guidance and support from members of the school authority, as well as resources to plan and equip their own makerspaces. In this article, we will describe in detail our first-hand experience of running our plan in a regulatory context. Firstly, we will outline the basic understanding of makerspaces when it comes to designing learning spaces and developing skills in them. This is not without mentioning our aims and objectives for this project. Based on this, we will explain the types of activities and technologies we focused on for our schools. We will then give examples of how our schools implemented their respective makerspaces. This is followed by a description of the challenges we faced in a process based on openness, collaboration and networking. Finally, we will identify conditions for success in setting up makerspaces in schools.