About the school
Time to change the approach to extracurricular activities! At the Maker Studio, we meet the needs of students whose potential is not fully used in traditional school. At the same time, we respond to the ever-growing demand for technological specialists on the job market. We are an afternoon school that develops high school students’ interest in STEM sciences, knowledge of new technologies and creative design thinking by constructing innovative prototypes.
“The role of the teacher is to create the conditions for invention rather than provide ready-made knowledge.”
Seymour Papert
The challenge
Why is your child reluctant to study science, even though he’s interested in this field? The reason is probably inadequate pedagogy. The instructional model of teaching in which the student first receives theoretical knowledge and then, on the basis of it, is to gain experience, goes against the natural learning process. Hence the boredom, confusion, and finally discouragement from science.
The solution
Therefore, in the Maker Studio, learning is a side effect of the process of manifesting and constructing the student’s own ideas. In this way, our school allows the student to first gain practical experience and then update his knowledge on a given topic. This method is called design learning. And this is how we teach in our school.
STEM and creativity
Even though many students are interested in science in high school, they choose not to major in this field. The reason lies in the incorrect teaching of these subjects, which completely ignores their practical aspect. The result is a technological and creative gap that we want to fill!
The Maker Studio is the answer! In our school, we encourage the student to explore the field of STEM and modern technologies, and at the same time we create a lesson plan in which the student becomes a practical creator and constructor. Here, creativity and STEM go hand in hand.
Technology gap
We live in times of a large gap between the demand for technological specialists and their supply (the so-called Tech Gap). The challenges that the modern world already faces today and those that we don’t even think about yet, but which will become real problems for our children, can only be solved by specialists educated in technology.
Demand for creativity
Apart from the Tech Gap, the phenomenon of the Creativity Gap is also known. Contrary to popular belief, they are strongly related if we think of the “employee of the future”. In the era of high demand for creativity and innovation, the role of targeted education which stimulates creative thinking is particularly important.
Our experience
The concept of Maker Studio, as well as the school’s curriculum, was first established in 2020 in the form of a diploma project supervised by renowned learning scientists at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Next, during the 2021-22 Maker Studio curriculum, as well as its pedagogical arrangements were piloted through two real-life educational projects geared toward students in Philadelphia (USA) and Warsaw (Poland). Results from pilot projects were very successful and became the last ‘piece of the puzzle’ validating the school’s operational start from 2023.
In 2009 we decided to professionalize the Polish tutoring market by creating the first tutoring academy in Poland, “EDUN”. Here, students can regularly improve their knowledge in various subjects and prepare for school-leaving examinations. Today, EDUN Korepetycje is a nationwide network of tutoring academies operating in almost every major city in Poland. Find out more at: www.edun.pl.
We’ve always seen the enormous potential and ambition of Polish students, which is why we decided to help them on their way to the best foreign universities. This is why EDUN Academy was founded in 2013 (called The Swan School since 2015). It’s an afternoon school that prepares Polish students for exams at the best universities in the world and regularly supports their progress in the International Baccalaureate program. Thanks to over 100 English-speaking educators, The Swan School is able to tailor a preparation program for each of our students. We support them in a multidimensional way in their extracurricular development, improving their grades at the International Baccalaureate exams and preparing them to achieve exceptionally high results in foreign entrance exams to the best universities in the world. We’re incredibly proud of the students of The Swan School who have studied or are studying at Harvard University, Stanford University, MIT, University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. You can get to know us better at: www.theswanschool.edu.pl.
When we created the network of EDUN tutoring academies, we were looking for an answer to the question of how to improve students’ school grades in the best way possible. When we were establishing The Swan School, we tried to answer the question of how to prepare students for exams and studies at the best universities in the world. The more we wanted to support or fix the current school model, the more we saw that students didn’t like their schools and what they learn there is not what the job market needs.
In order to improve WHAT is taught at school and HOW it’s done, we have started to deepen our pedagogical knowledge in the areas of developmental psychology, cognitive science, project-based learning and studio pedagogy. Fascinated by the possibilities offered by modern pedagogy and technology, we asked ourselves: how can we prepare high school students for the challenges of the future job market? We investigated this question in 2019-20 through graduate studies at Penn’s GSE where the Maker Studio concept and curriculum were first born. The school’s pedagogical arrangements and program structure were formalized in the form of a diploma capstone project supervised by renowned learning scientists from UPenn, Harvard, and MIT. The next step was to put that school concept into practice and test it, which we did through 2021-22 in the form of educational pilot programs with real students in Philadelphia (USA) and Warsaw (Poland). The two pilot programs allowed us to validate the curriculum structure as well as the school’s pedagogical arrangements. This, along with experience gathered from earlier educational endeavors, made us eventually decide to open Maker Studio doors in 2023 and start regular teachings to polish high school students.
The answer is the place you’re reading about now – the Maker Studio. The Innovation School.
The staff
and founders
Fascinated by the possibilities offered by modern pedagogy and technology, we decided to establish an institution that will prepare high school students for the challenges of the future job market. In the Maker Studio, we gather experts who have knowledge and passion, and will not so much share them as accompany our students in their search for their own knowledge and passion.
Together we have over 30 years of experience
Co-founder and author of the concept and the program of Maker Studio. The Innovation School
A graduate of the Faculty of Management at the University of Warsaw and a holder of the scholarship of the Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. A founder of EDUN Korepetycje and co-founder of EDUN Academy and The Swan School. During the creation of The Swan School, he was responsible for the devising of the SAT, ACT and SAT Subject Tests preparatory courses, the process of educational diagnosis, and filling out university application documents. On a daily basis, he also creates and conducts courses at his school. It was active teaching and several years of experience in managing university applications that allowed Maciej to constantly improve the College Counseling process and resulted in many graduates who enrolled in the best universities in the world, i.e. Stanford, Harvard, UPenn, Oxford and Cambridge.
Over the years, Maciej has also constantly raised his qualifications and invested in self-development, participating in many training programs dedicated to application consulting, as well as visiting American and British universities. In 2019, he began a 1.5-year master’s degree program at the University of Pennsylvania, where he expanded his knowledge of Learning Sciences and Technology (M.S.Ed.). In addition to his master’s degree, Maciej also completed a one-year Project-Based Learning course as part of the pioneering PBL certificate offered so far only by the University of Pennsylvania. Using the knowledge gained during his studies in the USA, together with the two founders of The Swan School, he developed the program and concept of the Maker Studio school.
Co-founder and co-author of the concept and the program of Maker Studio. The Innovation School
A holder of the Master of Arts in English Philology from the University of Glasgow. She’s taught at prestigious language schools in England and Scotland. In Poland, she worked as the Director of Studies in language schools and was responsible for drawing up methodological plans for preparatory courses for British language exams.
In 2013, together with Maciej Dziedzic, she opened the EDUN Academy tutoring academy. Her extensive teaching experience and knowledge of IB DP methodology is certified by international educational institutions and confirmed by multi-stage training in the field of coordinating the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. The students’ high results on the International Baccalaureate exams reflect her hard work. Since 2015, Patrycja’s been responsible for the overall training of educators at The Swan School, as well as for coordinating the quality of classes in accordance with IB DP standards.
She’s a certified British Council educational agent, participates in UCAS and College Board training programs, and establishes relationships with university admissions offices. At The Swan School, she draws up and manages comprehensive programs preparing for application to the best universities in the United Kingdom and the United States.
She gained her knowledge of design teaching and Deeper Learning at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and then tested it in practice at The Swan School. She’s undertaking a prestigious master’s degree programme offered by the revolutionary network of American schools teaching with the methods of Project-Based Learning – High Tech High.
Managing director of Maker Studio. The Innovation School, responsible for the quality of the classes
A graduate of English Philology and Chinese at the SWPS University. During her studies, she taught Chinese using design in creating her own curriculum and innovative teaching methods. Wanting to develop in the field of education, in 2021 she joined The Swan School, which prepares students to study at the best universities in the world.
A year of experience in supporting students during the recruitment process at foreign universities and motivation for further development contributed to the application to the University of Pennsylvania, one of the best universities in the USA. Experience in teaching and broadly understood design resulted in participation in a new project, which is the innovative Maker Studio school, which provides students with new learning paths based on creativity and gathering experience. By actively participating in Social Innovation Design classes, she translates the acquired knowledge into the development of the school and proper care of students’ projects.
Main instructor
He completed his BA studies at the University of the Arts London: Central Saint Martins, majoring in Performance: Design and Practice, specializing in visual arts, performing arts, and management in the cultural and educational sector. He’s professionally active, working conceptually and creatively between Warsaw and London. Currently, he’s studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, at the Faculty of Media Art.
Assistant to main studio instructor
Assistant to main studio instructor – a practicing artist and designer in the field of study in which his residency at the school takes place. The artist-in-residence subsequently undergoes his artistic training at the school and, just like the students, creates projects that are framed by the subject of a given studio.
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