“Children should be allowed to express themselves in all ways possible” is the main aim of ‘LearnToLearn’ from LEGO education.
Amanda Lowe, Learning Manager at R.E.A.L. has been using and adapting this model with her learners and it resulted in one learner building a replica of R.E.A.L’s Ilkeston Hub, as well as a castle and vending machine.
This is part of ‘Connect, Construct, Contemplate and Continue’ Amanda said: “I know that LEGO and Minecraft are personal interests of this learner and he was really excited to be coming to school at R.E.A.L. but slightly anxious about travelling to different hubs. I used his interest in LEGO on this occasion but often use other appropriate media; drawing, clay, playdough, computing, discussing etc. to personalise engagement with our learners.”
Real life situations can then be applied to the item that has been built. Amanda said: “To help the learner deal with the anxiety of travelling to new places, he was able to talk about it using the models he’d built and then also build solutions and discuss how he and his peers would benefit from the upgraded hub.
“I adapted this model slightly and used my own experience of teaching children and young people to modify it so that it is tailored to suit the individual.”
- Connect phase awakens students’ curiosity and the desire to learn.
- Construct phase encourages the student to tackle the challenge by building something functional or meaningful to him/her.
- Contemplate phase involves reflection and dialogue, with the teacher and peers, about what everyone has learned from their experience.
- Continue phase gives students opportunities to apply their newly-acquired knowledge to new challenges, as well as take ownership of their learning.
To find out more about the different provisions on offer and arrange a visit, please email: enquiries@real-education.org.