Every person is more capable than they believe.
Makerschool exists to close the gap between what people think they can do and what they are actually capable of — by putting real tools in their hands and real challenges in front of them.
Not that specific answers exist, but that the process of encountering a real problem, applying real effort, and arriving at a real result — something you can hold, show, and explain — is learnable. Repeatable. Cumulative.
Most education teaches content. We teach capacity. Content becomes outdated. Capacity compounds.
A child who has built ten objects — who has designed them, failed with them, fixed them, and finished them — carries something no exam result can measure. They know they can start something hard and finish it. That knowledge changes how they approach every subsequent challenge.
Everything we do is built on eight capabilities.
The 8-C Diagnostic Framework defines what Makerschool is actually trying to develop in every student, across every programme. It is the standard against which we measure whether a child is growing — not grades, not hours logged, but observable capability.
curiosity
Asks questions before being prompted. Investigates what they do not understand. Finds problems interesting rather than threatening.
creativity
Generates original ideas. Makes unexpected connections. Produces responses that were not given to them by an instructor.
craft
Cares about the quality of what they make. Notices the difference between finished and unfinished. Chooses to redo something that is not right.
collaboration
Contributes to a shared outcome without needing to control it. Gives and receives useful feedback. Makes others better.
communication
Explains their work clearly to someone who was not in the room when it was made. Adjusts how they speak to their audience. Defends decisions with evidence.
critical thinking
Evaluates ideas and methods, including their own. Identifies what is not working and why. Does not accept the first solution if a better one is available.
consistency
Shows up. Continues working when progress is slow. Does not need external motivation to maintain effort over a multi-month project.
confidence
Attempts things they have not done before. Recovers from failure without shutdown. Knows what they are capable of, because they have evidence.
The 8-C Framework is used by MakerCoaches to assess student growth across all Makerschool programmes. It is not a grading system. It is a language for describing observable maker behaviour — a shared vocabulary between coaches, students, and parents.
76 Circuit Road, Level #02-06
The Lab @ MacPherson is a full fabrication space designed for serious making. It is above MacPherson MRT Exit C, fully sheltered all the way from the station, with a multi-storey carpark connected to the building.
It is not a coworking space. It is not a makerspace in the hobbyist sense. It is a working lab — machines are calibrated, consumables are stocked, and the space is set up for programmes that produce real objects.
Ivan Ong — Principal Maker
Ivan has been teaching ICT and STEAM across Singapore’s MOE and international school system for over a decade — more than 100 schools, from mainstream primary to neurodivergent-focused international settings.
He founded Makerschool because he kept watching students leave school unable to make anything. Technically literate, academically credentialled, but without a single object they had designed and built with their own hands. He thought that was a solvable problem.
Ivan is a Google Certified Educator (Level 2), holds postgraduate study in educational leadership, and is the designer of the 8-C Diagnostic Framework used across all Makerschool programmes.