The application of LEGO SERIOUS PLAY seems like such a natural fit for almost all classrooms, yet many university and college professors have still not discovered this amazing tool.
Let us start by exploring the most unlikely place you might expect to find LSP, a classroom where university students are learning about quantum chemistry. You may think this sounds impossible. But that is exactly how Dr. Belinda Heyne, Professor of Photochemistry and Photobiology at the University of Calgary, applies LEGO SERIOUS PLAY.
On September 30, 2019, at our Strategic Play Conference in Whistler, Dr. Heyne was a presenter during the “Playing with Professors” session.
Dr. Heyne explained that by turning her Friday class into an LSP workshop, she is able to engage students at a new level while using LSP to check in on the learning journey. As students present their models’ stories, she is able to listen and gain a deeper understanding of their learning comprehension. This indirect feedback allows her to make adjustments to ensure a greater transfer of information.
Dr. Walter Stevenson, a professor at Golden Gate University in California, has been using LSP to engage his MBA students since 2008; most people were unaware of the tool that far back. Dr. Stevenson prototyped and tested his applications for 10 years before presenting at the 2018 edition of “Playing with Professors.” He spoke on the topic of “Designing Higher-level Education Content Units with LEGO SERIOUS PLAY methods.” Dr. Stevenson highlighted how learning transfer happens when the brain thrives as it moves content from short-term memory into long-term memory. He also addressed the topic of stickiness and how all learning content can become more memorable when students get their hands and minds engaged.
Stephen Walling, a member of the Strategic Play team in Canada, has been taking LEGO SERIOUS PLAY into the MBA classroom at Royal Roads University since 2014 as part of the Advanced Strategy Program. Using problem-based learning, students work on a live business case. Stephen uses LEGO SERIOUS PLAY to help them conduct a situational analysis.
Stephen also takes LSP down to the USA Squadron Officer School (SOS) in Montgomery, Alabama, where he certifies teachers to use LEGO SERIOUS PLAY in the United States Airforce classrooms at SOS. The instructors in this program find LEGO adds a new and fun element to the classroom, increasing engagement levels along with learning transfer.
If you are a professor using LSP in your classroom, we would love to hear from you. Let us know how you incorporate LSP into your program and how you feel the students are benefitting.