Educators from Blackstone Academy Charter School in Pawtucket partnered with Brown's makerspace to launch a new science class, empowering teens to design and create, and sparking interest in engineering.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] - Sure, they still use textbooks and pencils - but just as frequently, students from Blackstone Academy Charter School are now working with laser cutters, 3D printers, drills, saws and sanders.
That's thanks to a new class called Makerlab, which is the result of a partnership between educators at the Pawtucket, Rhode Island, high school and Brown University students and staff at the Brown Design Workshop. The high-schoolers travel to Brown's 10,000-square-foot makerspace each week to transform ideas into creations, learning woodworking and metalworking along with design and engineering skills.
Blackstone Academy science teacher Aaron Weinblatt created the elective in 2022 to offer a creative complement to traditional science courses for students at the public high school, which serves more than 350 students from Pawtucket, Central Falls and Providence. Makerlab's project-based curriculum, developed with Brown engineering students, introduces fundamental concepts like structural integrity, material properties, prototyping and iteration. Immersed in hands-on design and engineering challenges, students gain resilience and problem-solving skills, Weinblatt said.
"Tools can be intimidating, and fixing, designing or making something can feel overwhelming," Weinblatt said. "This class aims to empower students with the confidence to design, fix and make so they can see themselves as problem-solvers and makers. We want students to grasp the engineering design process, embrace iteration and balance goals with constraints. Building grit is also key. Trying, failing and adapting - that's real engineering in action and a profound life skill."
Aalyah Matos, a ninth-grader at Blackstone Academy, had little experience with tools but was astonished by how much she enjoyed the hands-on projects and how useful the skills she gained proved even in the short term.
"Before this class, I would have said I'm not into building things, but seeing these projects come together is fascinating," Matos said. "Plus, learning to use tools and machines like a drill press is so much fun - and it's something I'd never encounter normally. Now, if something breaks at home, I feel like I might actually be able to fix it myself."
Hands-on lessons in art, design and STEM
Around a dozen high-schoolers join Weinblatt and a team of Brown mentors every fall and spring in the student-run Brown Design Workshop. Starting with introductory woodworking and sheet metal workshops, they learn design basics, sketch ideas and master the safe use of tools to craft projects such as Pinewood Derby cars, birdhouses and towers. The class culminates in a final project that challenges students to combine their newfound skills to design and create functional items for the school. Past projects have included wood hall passes, props for drama classes, fidget toys for focused learning, storage bins and even gavels for mock trials.
