Men's Sheds for men's heads: what maker spaces could be for future men (and women)
- Josiah Lau
- Apr 15, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: May 22, 2020
The idea of a men's shed kinda scares me. Not the shed bit, the shed bit is fine, the men bit. Idk how to act around lots of guys. I would have died in an all boys school. Wait low-key also scared of all boys schools. Maybe cos of the way lots of boys together can egg each other on to do silly things. Actually idk that sounds kinda fun now.
But there's an inherent problem to my thinking as well in that guys have that sort of mentality of surface level interaction, not wanting to talk about deeper emotional issues, and suppressing those 'weaknesses' with showings of stereotypical 'masculinity', only further exasperated when in male group settings.
That's not to say I'm against Men's Sheds philosophy, I think it is very neat and important for AMSA (Australian Men's Sheds Association) to promote proper and good management of men's mental health. Does the term 'Men's Shed' kinda not make sense to me? Idk I can't make up my mind. On one hand it seems to be derived to cater for traditional masculine values, yet on the other, maybe it is these traditional values which encourage men to join such groups in the first place, allowing a safe environment for those gender barriers to be dislodged.
What about women? Can the Men's Shed philosophy be extended to women (or really anybody)? Good news is that there are indeed Women's Sheds too! though much less publicised...
A maker space is a terminological corollary to the Maker Movement, emphasising DIY-ness in a world of consumerism. The philosophies, which underlie the movement of learning through doing, make it a more equitable and social endeavour. Maker spaces give autonomy to the people involved in the Maker Movement; that could local community members, but in our case, students.
We had Phil Nanlohy join our Zoom seminar this week discussing his experiences with maker spaces and how to better integrate them successfully into school programs. Here are some of his focus points:
Versatility: the space is not yours. It is ours. The space is a privilege to use so the layout and organisation should be respected. There is a positive correlation between the tidiness of a space and the psychological effects on its users. In saying that, the space must also be designed in a way to facilitate all sorts of project based learning. Getting teachers involved into the design and brainstorm of possibilities is a great way of advocating use of such a maker space
Do the project: teachers need to be experts. Get acquainted with the tools/equipment to be used during your project before the kids start using them. Safety IS the number 1 priority, but kids aren't stupid if you aren't. Emphasise that safe use means more use, through open communication between students, teachers, and parents, through proper demonstrations of equipment usage, and through consideration of materials to be used.
Projects should be related to what students are doin in non-STEM subjects. eg. making arcade games to supplement their studying of electronics
Projects should be student-led: DREAMING . DRAWING . DESIGNING . MAKING . Giving autonomy to students incentivises learning and gives agency in what and how they want to learn. Teachers are aids to their self-discovery, particularly in designing aspect of the scaffold to try and maximise their learning
Money: always a sore topic to have to discuss. Phil did disclose that although a big chunk of money may go a long way in the initial set up of the space but may create conflict into how money is spent as different parties want to spend on different projects. It may be better to have a drip fed allocations of funds and to emphasis upcycling/recycling.
HAVE FUN!
Speaking of recycling, a big part of the Maker Movement is as a combatant to consumerism, and to focus on using what we may already have.
Last year I taught my Year 2 prac class how to DIY some brass and percussion instruments out of common recyclable household items. Hopefully it follows the Maker Movement philosophy. Here is the tutorial if you'd like to follow and make your own:
Maker spaces are dope. Even doper is that they can be integrated into school environments. The positivity of creating something of your own, from fragmented idea to a physical object is really empowering. Add that with the social aspects of team work and problem solving, you get yourself a setting where applicable life skills are paramount.
The Men's Shed philosophy in the end, I suppose, though seems directed at men and a safe space for the deconstruction of systemic masculinity, still has a lot in common with the maker spaces from which it spawned. Perhaps there is a common ground, something where students can see how Sheds are not just a man's things, that girls can build and hammer and code and create too. But also a space where supporting your peers is imperative for learning, through trial and error and discussion of what may and may not work. Can maker spaces be a in into cross curricular PDHPE study on mental health? Dunno I don't what I'm trying to say anymore. My eyes feel so dry. But would love to hear ideas on how that could be done cos I feel like there is connection even if I can't think of it rn...
I found some articles about Men's Sheds and maker spaces/Maker Movement. Wasn't sure where to hyperlink so thought I'd just leave them in case.
Comments