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Instead of writing a final exam for Grade 12 Social Studies, the students in Patrick McDermott鈥檚 class at Inuksuk High School in Iqaluit spend their semester working on a project, then presenting it.

鈥淭hey identify an issue in Nunavut, or in the world, and they come up with a potential solution for it. So they鈥檒l do research on the topic. They literally define the problem and they define the solution,鈥� said McDermott.

鈥淎nd to make the evaluation and assessment, and project, authentic, this final presentation that they do to invited members of the community has the real goal to start the discussion on this solution and perhaps actually find ways of implementing it within the community.鈥�

McDermott adds, 鈥淚t鈥檚 probably one of the most authentic types of assessment that we do because it鈥檚 real life.鈥�

Mac Pavia, a graduate this year, invited Nunavut News to sit in on his presentation, along with business owner Cedric Rusike and Northwestel鈥檚 manager of government relations and community engagement Gabby Morrill.

Pavia鈥檚 research and presentation centred around makerspaces and how they can benefit underrepresented youth, and part of his package was a business case for a camp based on his research and ideas.

Makerspaces are defined as places where people with shared interests can come together to work on projects, and share ideas, equipment, and knowledge.

In September 2018, opened such a location in Iqaluit, where Pavia works, and in May the non-profit association won a $10 million Smart Cities prize through Infrastructure Canada to open similar spaces in other Nunavut communities.

鈥淭he need for makerspaces in Nunavut is kind of apparent. There鈥檚 a lack of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) education. We have groups that come up here every once in a while and they deliver some sort of STEAM-related curriculum to youth. It doesn鈥檛 work. You鈥檙e giving them that knowledge, then you鈥檙e leaving,鈥� said Pavia, adding such groups may come back a few months later but, by then, the material is forgotten.

Pavia shared that as a student with ADHD, he discovered that project-based learning was more suited to him.

鈥淚 think that would work for a lot more youth if there鈥檚 a space where they can go with a problem and figure it out, and learn something new by creating something with their hands. Not just listening to someone talk about it,鈥� he said.

He provided examples from his own experiences with kids at the , where creative thinking led them to find solutions to problems they encountered.

鈥淪ome of these students are learning really fast. They鈥檙e absorbing knowledge even faster than we鈥檙e able to give it to them,鈥� Pavia said.

鈥淭he reward is really just watching the next generation grow and embrace higher education. 聽It can also help renew a lot of the youths鈥� interest in learning by providing something that鈥檚 new and fresh and not the same stagnant concept that schools can kind of be now.鈥�

While researching, Pavia came across the concept called the 鈥済rowth mindset,鈥� which he said was the most valuable thing he learned.

鈥淭he growth mindset is defined as the belief that through enough hard work you can actually do anything. You can become smarter than the smartest kid in your class. It鈥檚 based on the belief that, I didn鈥檛 do well on this but I鈥檓 going to do better on the next one because I鈥檓 going to put more work into it,鈥� he said.

鈥淭he static mindset is the belief that I am this way, therefore I cannot change. The growth mindset is really important in learning. Unfortunately, schools don鈥檛 do enough to help develop that. They only kind of keep the static mindset going.鈥�

Pavia said with project-based learning, kids can fail, but they can fail in a good way that allows them to learn from their failure. He also emphasized that a makerspace can be anything from a cart with a couple of laptops and Lego in a school library, to a building with much more equipment on offer.

After Pavia鈥檚 presentation, the community panel asked many questions, which Pavia handily answered.

鈥淚deologically, can you explain to me why this community- or individual-based programming would be better than government-based programming,鈥� asked McDermott.

Pavia replied with two words: sharing knowledge.

鈥淚 find, with the school system we have, it鈥檚 all very stacked, very organized. You have to go through channels to change up the curriculum, teach something different. The makerspace has the more open, free-flowing model. We have the community making decisions about what they want,鈥� he said.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the whole idea, where you have youth who are underrepresented, who are actually quite smart, be able to be positively influenced and have the resources to be able to pursue their knowledge and their interests.鈥�