Makerspace Makeover: Delivering Hands-On Lessons to Remote & Hybrid Students

Featured guest: 

• Rob Niedermeyer, innovation teacher, Reynoldsburg City Schools
  • This is Mr. Niedermeyer’s eleventh year teaching.  He earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology from The Ohio State University and a Master of Science in Education from Ashland University. 
  • Niedermeyer developed the STEM Middle at Baldwin Road Junior High Sustainable Outdoor Innovation Learning (SOIL) Lab.  The SOIL Lab was the district’s first middle level, science-based elective course that focuses on sustainability, urban agriculture, and eliminating food insecurity.  Niedermeyer is now launching a new engineering and design class at Reynoldsburg’s Hannah Ashton Middle School (HAMS) Innovation Lab makerspace.  In the Innovation Lab, he pushes students to become producers, not just consumers.  Students use the tools on hand to develop solutions to real problems within their own community.  Niedermeyer believes that real problems are more important to learning than isolated content standards, and works with his team to develop authentic learning experiences for students through a transdisciplinary  problem based learning (TPBL) model.
  • Because of his commitment to authentic learning experiences for his students, Niedermeyer was named the Columbus Parent and ThisWeek News’ 2019 Middle Level Teacher of the Year Award winner, 2020 State Board District 9 Teacher of the Year, and 2020 Ohio Teacher of the Year State Finalist. 

Check it out:

• Click here to see photos of Niedermeyer's Innovation Lab makerspace at Hannah Ashton and Soil Lab at STEM Middle, as well as some of the projects his students have been working on.

In this episode:

"The biggest problem was, how are we going to take a class that was 90% hands-on with tools and other pieces of equipment and do that in a virtual world."

• 1:45 - Makerspace basics: Traditional shop class tools with a high-tech twist
• 2:20 - Designing for others and creating projects that liven up the school space
• 3:15 - Teaching life-long 'soft skills' 
• 4:00 - Focusing on the design cycle with digital tools
• 4:45 - The 'Aha' moment in hands-on learning through remote and hybrid education models.
• 5:40 - "The kids who are working at home, I am then their hands here."
• 6:30 - Re-thinking best practices in light of the COVID curveballs for a hands-on class
• 7:25 - The successes and failures figuring out how to make virtual hands-on learning work
• 8:30 - The unexpected opportunities created by teaching in a pandemic: Communication and collaboration
• 9:30 - Creating the Urban Agriculture and Environmental Science Lab (aka the Soil Lab) at STEM Middle
• 10:45 - Letting students design the Soil Lab 
• 11:45 - Teaching the problem solving and critical thinking with hands-on lessons in the Soil Lab
• 12:40 - The role of agriculture in Reynoldsburg students' lives
• 13:15 - Shaping students' world views through urban agriculture and growing food for those in need during the pandemic
• 14:30 - Awards and recognition: Building on the new connections to improve experiences for students
• 16:30 - Looking ahead to the future of the Innovation Lab at Hannah Ashton

"I think I really focus on the 'soft skills' here - the critical thinking, the problem solving. It's great to know how to use a laser cutter, but I'm more interested in can they actually problem solve if they don't know what's happening. If they have a mistake in their design, if the machine isn't working correctly, how can they problem solve and use the resources they have to get the machine up and running again to actually make the physical product? Creating their physical product is great, they love seeing it; but for me, the best part is seeing them work through the process of actually getting to the end product."

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About us:

• The Ohio Education Association represents more than 120,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals who work in Ohio’s schools, colleges, and universities to help improve public education and the lives of Ohio’s children. OEA members provide professional services to benefit students, schools, and the public in virtually every position needed to run Ohio’s schools.
• Education Matters host Katie Olmsted serves as Media Relations Consultant for the Ohio Education Association. She joined OEA in May, 2020, after a ten-year career as a television reporter, anchor, and producer. Katie comes from a family of educators and is passionate about telling educators' stories and advocating for Ohio's students. 

This episode was recorded in February, 2021.