BUILDING BRICKS
GOAL & METHOD
GOAL#1 : LEARNERS AUTONOMY AND SELF-DETERMINATION
METHOD#4: train learners’ problem solving skills
Advised Age Group
11-15 year-old
Target
Learners with disabilities; better if used when working in
small teams or pairs.
Subject
ALL SUBJECTS
Requires
Lego – other building material
Length
SHORT
Provide a model to learners’ groups
Build a model from cubes, Lego, Dominos or other type of construction material.
Divide learners into teams of two or three. Provide each team with enough materials to duplicate the model.
Assign roles, tasks and rules
Assign each team member with one or more roles. For example: builder, instructor, controller, voice disturber, body disturber and object disturber.
Show the model briefly then destroy or put it away. Set a time limit for one team to duplicate the model.
While the team builds the duplicate the other teams need to confuse them. During this process, observe the functioning of assertive communication and working under stress.
Establish some rules to manage the confusion and interference: for instance, the disturbing teams cannot yell, the building team has to work at a fixed place and the others must disturb them in an assigned area.
Another option is to create building teams only and to distract them by showing different models then providing written instructions with an error which they have to find and fix.
SUMMING UP
Learners focus on listening to their teammates and to completing the task they are given, while at the same time they become more aware of what holds them back from working effectively.