Makerspace Coordinator/Teacher

~ Based in Hong Kong, The Harbour School (THS) is a primary and secondary international school that recognizes children as complex individuals with differing needs, goals, personalities, and backgrounds and thus takes a customized approach to learning. ~

Founded in 2007, THS has gained a worldwide reputation as a center of educational excellence emphasizing skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, creativity, innovation and resilience. We recently placed second worldwide in a global competition for “21st Century School of the Year”.

The Makerspace Coordinator post at The Harbour School is a remarkable opportunity for the right individual to be a peer mentor in a young school that is an internationally recognized leader in 21st century education. The successful candidate will be expected to represent, create, model and implement the best, most effective and innovative programs that promote and apply the school’s underlying educational philosophy to the Maker Curriculum. The Coordinator is the head of one of three “Centres of Excellence” at THS, the other two being the Marine Science Centre and “The Black Dolphin,” a classic yacht serving as an “outdoor classroom.”  

The Makerspace Coordinator plans, teaches, and organizes a STEAM program for Grades 1 to 12 promoting the use of both digital design and traditional fabrication techniques within the context of the Maker movement. The Makerspace Coordinator generates both whole class and individual projects that have direct curriculum links to grade specific subjects. The programs will focus on a combination of design, construction, robotics and computer-based programming.  

The successful candidate will have a knowledge and understanding about the ever-converging worlds of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics, and a keen sense to draw these components together to form a relevant and exciting program. We are looking not only looking for a teacher; we are also looking for an explorer, leader, tinkerer, collaborator, creator, designer, and builder. The successful candidate will be knowledgeable about emerging technologies, but also hold a strong understanding of education and how to incorporate these technologies in an educational Makerspace setting.  

Specific Responsibilities and Daily Roles

• Plan and teach lessons to students from the elementary, middle and high school.
• Direct, supervise and evaluate the work of a Makerspace co-teacher.
• Manage all aspects of the operation of the school’s dedicated Makerspace (aka “The Foundry”) including inventories, supplies, materials, equipment, scheduling, and usage.
• Maintain a healthy environment and ensure the safe operation of all tools and equipment (inc. power, electronic, or manual), and the careful use of expendable supplies (e.g. paint, plastics, lumber, etc.) within the Foundry.
• Advise the school’s administration concerning the continuing development and improvement of Makerspace programs at THS.
• Serve as a member of the school’s STEAM Team committee helping integrate STEAM across and throughout the curriculum.
• Present the core principals of the Maker Movement in education to teachers, students and parents.
• Work with lead teachers to identify appropriate projects and dates for project weeks that include all of the elements of STEAM.
• Prior to project weeks, liaise with teachers to get the most out of their projects with minimal disruption to their usual teaching schedule.
• During project week, work in collaboration with Class Teachers in The Makerspace.
• Prepare the Makerspace ahead of projects in terms of both physical resources and access to necessary consultants and technicians.
• Continuously reflect on projects for ongoing improvement.
• Manage the resourcing and budgeting for projects, ongoing consumables and machine maintenance.
• The Coordinator works on a 12-month contract with 30 days leave in addition to all Hong Kong Government legal holidays and is expected to design, develop and offer extracurricular programs during school holidays and the summer break as part of the school’s School Extension Activities program (SEA Program). 

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Must have an in-depth understanding of the creative culture of the Maker movement.
• Strong project management and time management skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, delivering on budget and within deadline.
• Working knowledge of graphic design software, 3D printing software and microcontroller programming software.
• Understanding of current trends in educational technology for formal and informal education.
• K-12 curriculum development aligned (Next Generation Science Standards) and International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards.
• Hobbyist of construction, tinkering, computer programming, woodworking, and robotics.
• Minimum of three years of teaching experience in an informal and/or formal setting.
• Hold a teaching license issued by a recognized government authority.

Required Qualifications:

• At least a bachelor’s degree in Education or another relevant field.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in creating and maintaining a fun, effective and engaging learning environment for students and various audiences.
• Experience in curriculum development.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Project based learning/Challenge based learning certification/training.
• Experience in writing proposals and presenting at professional conferences.