Finding new skills in MINTED lab

A newly converted classroom is giving students the chance to innovate, explore their creativity and find solutions to problems.

The MINTED lab has “fab lab” robotics, design and technology tools such as saws, hammers, screwdrivers and work benches with clamps. There are no chairs to encourage students to move around while working. The room does, however, offer accessibility options for students who cannot stand for an activity. 

MINTED is a play on the German classroom language MINT, which stands for mathematics, informatics, natural sciences and technology. Inspired by this term, St George’s Sustainability and DEIJ team tweaked it to create MINTED: Magic, innovation, nature, technology, equity and diversity.

The Secondary Repair Club has weekly sessions in the MINTED lab where they repair various school devices, from laminators to 3D-printed laptops, and cannibalise old laptops for future repairs. 

Primary students classes and clubs are working on various projects, such as making bird boxes to help support local biodiversity in the school grounds, and building hydropower projects to support studies on rivers.

The Inclusion team runs a weekly design tech session to give students an idea of how to use different tools and equipment, and to help them explore interests outside of academic subjects.

Classroom resources have been selected to support sustainability, avoid single-use plastic, source second-hand equipment and supply materials for builds from upcycled/recycled sources.