#30DaysofLearning Day 11 - Make-A-Thon

I had an amazing day with young people at the District 1 Make-A-Thon at PS 15 Roberto Clemente School yesterday.  Families from the host school and others within our District were shown a student made video about pinball machines.  They were also given a brief description of the Design Process, from Planning to Presentation.  And then they were set loose.

I watched these young Maker families create plans for their design of an arcade machine.  Some chose common machines like pinball and skeeball.  Others tried to combine ideas like skeeball with a special basketball hoop.  Some created their own new game.

The young designers took their plans to the supply table and found cardboard, used plastic water bottles, duct tape of various colors and designs, and other miscellany to bring their ideas to life.  I couldn't believe my eyes!  In three hours, we had a cardboard arcade.  It was pretty magical.  I have shared some of the magic in a slideshow below.

Experiences like this always have me wondering.  

• If we give students a big question, some parameters for their thinking process, a little guidance when needed, and some time, can't we expect that they will be able to come through with powerful results?  
  
• What stops us from releasing our control of a learning path to those that are doing the learning?  
  
• How do we fight that fear and celebrate their ability to forge their own path of learning based on interest and passion?  
  
• How do we still incorporate a shared, co-created, learning path knowing that young people don't always know what they don't know?