SPACE TO
Innovate
Building diverse thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators in the Laboratory Schools
By Aubrey Henson
THOMAS METCALF SCHOOL
STEM Makerspace
The STEM Makerspace at Metcalf was built for students to have hands-on experiences with STEM-related topics. Within the lab there are many functional and tactile activities that can be explored.
During computer engineering units, students have access to a large variety of robotics and coding tools such as those available on their iPads and Chromebooks, alongside more "screen-free" options such as Sphero Indi, BeeBots, Coding Critters, LEGO Coding Express, Dot and Dash, and LEGO Education Spike kits. During an electrical engineering unit students have access to a large amount of circuitry and electronic tools such as Circuit Blocks, Squishy Circuits, Design and Drill Space Circuits, and Snap Circuits.
Open play is also a big part of the makerspace where students use tools such as LEGO bricks, Keva Planks, Straw Connectors, popsicle sticks, glue guns, cardboard, and hot wheels to play, learn, and explore.
The children’s favorite activity is building with Legos. Students have an opportunity to physically see the reaction caused by situational properties. For example, many of the students explore science by using Legos to show how when one Lego car hits another it causes the first one to move, thus transferring energy. Allowing students to be hands on within the lab offers many opportunities to learn differently.
Brittney Tarr ’16, M.S. ’23, a special education teacher and STEM specialist for the laboratory schools, is passionate about how STEM education is transforming learning at Metcalf.
“I think the STEM Makerspace is so important for elementary schools because people of all backgrounds deserve the benefits that STEM careers can offer, and our world requires diverse thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators,” says Tarr.
UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL
Design Lab
University High School (U-High) has a Design Lab that educates students about design properties and best practices. Students who are interested in design, art, sewing, sculpting, or even building can find something to do in the Design Lab.
“The lab offers opportunity to students who are interested more in the arts,” says Brody Walworth, a U-High social science teacher who helps oversee the design lab. “Our students are so creative and the things they come up with are extraordinary.”
Throughout the design lab there are different stations and materials that students can use to express their views, outlook, or how they are feeling. There is an area that is dedicated to fashion design and sewing that many students are drawn to. If a student is more into the arts, there are several opportunities to work with different mediums such as paint and clay.
No matter the student’s artistic interest, there is always something to do within U-High’s design lab that will help support and exercise their skills.
Forensics Lab
University High School’s Forensic Studies class transforms the mundane into thrilling crime scenes where the students become the detectives of their own education. Kirsten Hany, a social science teacher at U-High, is partnering with Illinois State’s Department of Criminal Justice in their new Forensics Lab. This past semester, Hany’s Forensic Studies course had class in the lab once a week.
“Students were able to self-select a topic or project of interest, and this group chose forensics,” explains Haney. “In our first meeting, ISU police officer Matt Blecha came and did a presentation on crime scene analysis and other basic forensics with Pawficer Sage, ISU’s therapy dog.”
Next, students visited the lab and Dr. William Lally, visiting professor in the Department of Criminal Justice Sciences who oversees the Forensics Lab, gave them a tour and additional information so they could decide how to use their time within the lab. Students who are interested in studying crime investigations have a space where they can see the full investigation process of a crime from start to finish.
At the lab there are many different tools and stations that cover the important elements of criminal investigation. The main goal of this course is to offer students a hands-on experience that many high school students don’t have. Being able to work with real forensic tools and work in a space that is dedicated solely to forensic and criminal studies is impactful for all students.
“I think there is an authentic sense of learning occurring given that students have had a choice and self-selected the topic,” states Hany. “Many of these students are interested in furthering their education and/or careers in the forensic field, so the ability to get hands-on experiences is incredible.”
