Woodworking is the medium, student benefits are endless

Students gain social skills, math skills, and highly transferable hands on career exploration.

Teachers gain a new way to solve the ‘why do I need to learn this’ issue in a fully supported way

Administrators can solve for absenteeism, low student engagement, and low test scores while engaging existing staff in existing rooms

Read on to learn more:

“Odds are, you remember what you made in 7th grade in your ‘shop class’. And, odds are, you cannot remember a paper you wrote that year. ”

— Maplewoodshop Founder

Student Benefits

Build Social Skills

Building in a group develops social skills and fosters growth
All projects are engaging and especially for hard to reach students
Students are encouraged to teach their peers and assess their own work and behaviors
Hands on Math

Students are measuring, marking, sawing, fitting, and joining projects making math real and practical
Students share that woodworking does not feel like math
In one study (n=65), we found a 20% lift in math scores after 40 hours of woodworking
Discover a Passion

Why wait until 11th grade to discover a passion?
Students learn transferable skills while woodworking creating options
Students can earn up to 16 college credits using the Career Connections pre-apprenticeship program

Any teacher can succeed

90% of the teachers we train have no prior experience in woodworking
By avoiding power tools, teachers do not need a certificate
Teachers enjoy learning with their students
Fast onboarding

Professional development takes 2-3 hours and includes safety, classroom management and building a project together
Access our online learning system to see videos for every tool and every project
Download PDFs of every project as well as rubrics and assessments
Support at every step

Curriculum is aligned to NGSS and Common Core standards
Career Connections is approved in all 50 states
Pacing guides help you stay on track
Teacher communities to share tips and tricks
Wood is project ready

You have the teacher

90% of the teachers we train have no prior experience in woodworking
By avoiding power tools, teachers do not need a certificate
Teachers enjoy learning with their students
You have the room

Maplewoodshop fits in any classroom on almost any table or desk
Cleanup is fast and saw ‘crumbs’ can be swept between classes
No power tools means no extra insurance
You have the students

Keep vocational students in district avoiding transportation and transfer fees
Offer college credits and create multiple career pathways for college and non-college bound students
Scale programs from elementary to middle to high school safely and consistently.
Give all students 21st-century learning skills such as communication, problem-solving and collaboration

Sandra L. Cullis, Ed.D. Assistant Superintendent, Curricula & Instruction, Denville Township Schools