Master Making in the Classroom

You’ve got a couple of 3-D printers, some workbenches, hand tools, and a new space. What do you do with it all? In this 10-week program, learn to design and deliver custom Maker projects that boost your students’ confidence, competence, and engagement with STEM, no matter what subject you’re teaching.

Master Making in the Classroom is a professional development opportunity for educators seeking to integrate Maker tools and habits into any K-12 classroom, for any academic content area. The workshops were developed at the MIT Edgerton Center, are led by Edgerton Center staff, and are held in our lab/Makerspace in the heart of the MIT campus. 
​
Educators in Master Making in the Classroom will be able to design and carry out Maker projects that promote student learning and engagement by bringing hands-on creative tools into academic settings. Maker projects provide opportunities for students to express their ideas in novel ways through collaborative “techy” projects. 

New in 2026 - we will be starting Master Making in the Classroom in-person at MIT in late June, and completing it online over the Fall. Along the way, there are individual coaching meetings with the program staff.

This program is geared for educators who want to integrate Maker projects into regular academic classes. Experience with Maker tools and materials is recommended. Participants wanting to boost their Maker skills can take our Maker Project PD Workshops in June then continue on to Master Making in the Classroom. See the schedule and program details below.

View our one-day workshops here.

Participants will get the skills they need to be confident, inspired, and ready to create and lead Maker projects. Throughout the course, participants will:

• Design engaging Maker projects that incorporate academics
• Learn how to transition from direct instruction to facilitation
• Get coaching on projects you carry out with your students
• Learn how to establish a Maker mindset in your school
• Become part of an enthusiastic community of practice

Educators seeking to integrate Maker tools and habits into any K-12 classroom, for any academic content area. This course is designed for educators who lead Maker efforts in their schools by coaching or collaborating with other teachers to carry out Maker projects - e.g. Technology Integration Specialists, STEM Coordinators, and Makerspace Coordinators. A dedicated Makerspace is not required, as long as tools and materials will be available to students in their classrooms.  We highly recommend coming in with some Maker experience.  Learn and practice with a variety of Maker tools at our day-long Maker Skills workshops.

• Master our Maker Methodology and the mindset embedded in it. Learn to use our Maker project design tools and practices for your own classroom, as well as coaching and supporting other educators in your community.
• Design engaging Maker projects. Draw inspiration from successful project samples, and create prototypes in our well-stocked Makerspace
• Put together your own project outlines and daily plans.  Our tools will get you started and highlight key practices for facilitating Maker Projects.
• Get answers to questions about Maker technologies.  The course leaders have extensive experience with Maker tools and materials and are easily reachable by email.
• Join an enthusiastic Community of Practice. Participating educators will have regular on-line communication to share experiences, ideas, and resources, and support each other as Master Makers during the MMC experience and moving forward.

• "I gained so much from the ability to brainstorm projects and share knowledge with fellow makers through this course... It is also wonderful to continue to have the community available via e-mail for any questions or concerns. "
• “I can vouch for how great it is.  Going to MIT, working with other maker/educators and getting to know Diane and Leilani, as well as the other participants, was fantastic.  It was great to develop a network of practitioners and to get to know them and their work within their own schools.  I don't know about you, but I feel like I have received a lot of "101-level" PD opportunities, this course provides the next level of thinking about what we do every day and adds in a curricular design piece.  I really miss not going this year!!”
• "I always came back [to school] with ideas to think about which developed over time to actual projects."
• "I am better able to assist teachers in setting realistic goals for projects given time constraints, resources, expectations..."
• "I am more organized and share documentation with the collaborative teachers to keep the original vision and timeline intact."
• "Just knowing that I have a network of support has increased my confidence."
• "I have a system in place for assisting teachers with planning and assessment and helping students to execute projects."
• "...a real game changer in terms of pushing lessons into new places, and allowed for some really great collaborative ideas...