Grass Valley Elementary Wonder Workshop

Grass Valley Elementary is a Title I public school in East Oakland serving students grades T.K. - 5th. A majority of our students are students of color and nearly 25% of our student body is comprised of students with special needs (one of the largest percentages in the district). Our main mission is to meet the needs of the whole child, and we believe that one way to do so is by nurturing our students' innate curiosity through Maker Education and Project-Based Learning.

WHAT IS MAKER EDUCATION?

Hands-on learning that promotes creativity, thoughtfulness, a community of learning, and sharing ideas.

• People create what they want to see/use
• Combines new technology with old school arts and crafts
• STEAM focus (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math)
• Learner centered and directed
• Takes classroom learning and applies it to the real world

WHAT IS PROJECT-BASED LEARNING (PBL)?

A teaching method in which "students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge." 

- The Buck Institute

Why Maker Ed/PBL at Grass Valley? It fosters:

• Ownership of learning
• Engagement through hands-on learning with a real world focus
• Creativity, flexibility, adaptability, and empathy
• Ability to think deeply, critically, and over long periods of time to solve complex problems
• Awareness of the ability to be agents of change in our communities
• Knowledge that we are producers, not just consumers
• Natural differentiation for all students' abilities

Our Wonder Workshop

To help foster the values of Maker Education and Project-Based Learning, we recently created a Wonder Workshop for our community. It is a designated MakerSpace where students, teachers, and family members can build, tinker, and learn. Here, the Grass Valley community has access to a variety of resources, tools, and materials to make their ideas a reality.