Making a Platform for Empowerment

Students learn in an environment that is conducive to building a sense of autonomy at the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) Maker Space, a site in the network of our partner YOUmedia Learning Labs, by approaching problem-solving with the “I Can Mentality.”

“Later, I was reflecting on how comfortable Derek was in telling me that his option sounded best. I was very impressed by this and thought about when I was his age, would I have been comfortable saying that to my teacher? Would I be comfortable saying that to a teacher now?

I might say no to both of those questions, but I feel it is contingent on the environment of the space you are in — is it set up for empowering people to think, to challenge, to explore, to discover? Does it encourage people to say, ‘I can do this!’? Learners of all ages need trust and permission to act.”

By David Wells

Interested in finding out more? Read the full article at Medium.