Education Today Education Today Magazine
At Derby Museums we’re all about celebrating our region’s impressive industrial and innovative history, but we’re also looking to the future. We want to ensure that our region’s creative history doesn’t get left in the past which is why we have created the Midlands Maker Challenge!
Do you work with students aged 13-18 years old in the Midlands? Are you looking for new opportunities to really inspire them to think more creatively in a hands-on environment? If that is the case, then look no further than the Midlands Maker Challenge (MMC). It’s designed for students aged 13-18 and supports them to think innovatively, by identifying a problem relating to climate change, and producing a solution that they can create either in school, or in the bespoke studios at Derby’s Museum of Making – one of our sites in central Derby.
Open to all young people
The MMC can be run as part of the National Curriculum, form part of A-level or GCSE coursework, or be part of an extra-curricular club. Everyone is welcome, and we believe all who take part will learn vital life-long skills including collaboration, critical thinking and communication. Practical skills for life, such as working with different materials, will also be gained. Although there’s a broad brief, we have been encouraging students to focus their thoughts on climate change, but the main point is they have free reign to follow their passions and create innovative solutions, which is something previous students have really relished. What they have also really enjoyed is the opportunity to create meaningful solutions for people, tackling issues such as the impacts of fast fashion with sustainable clothing solutions and saving water through a rainwater harvesting device. In fact, the only limit is imagination. In the last 18 months, 180 students from nine Midlands based schools took part in the MMC, and we were thrilled to hear about the positive impact they felt taking part brought, as well as the great feedback from their teachers.
Giving you support along the way
But teachers and students aren’t on their own in making this happen. Mentor support from highly qualified and trained staff with different sector backgrounds and experience is available to all students throughout the Challenge. Our staff are able to use their diverse experience to support the specific areas students want to focus on. This is all completely free and takes place at the inspirational Museum of Making. Alongside this there is also support for teachers, to make it as easy as possible for you to help your students achieve their goals whilst meeting the demands of the curriculum and navigating busy term times.
Here is what one school had to say about their experience
‘If you’re a secondary school in the Midlands, the MMC is a fantastic opportunity. The challenge aims to empower young people to be the makers of the future. We took part with four teams this year, the students used their STEAM subject knowledge to explore real world problems and problem solve to devise solutions. From a teacher’s perspective, the challenge is really well planned with clear and engaging resources. The team running the challenge at Derby museums are really supportive and have been fantastic to work with.’
Get in touch and find out more
Please get in touch if you’d like to find out more or have any questions, we would love to hear from you and are happy to chat you through how it might work for you and your students. The engineering firm IMI plc have provided a donation to run this challenge to build on the midlands’ position as a place for innovation.
http://midlandsmakerchallenge.org.uk/
paul2@derbymuseums.org.uk
