Making Before Meaning
How building with legos and making collages can lead to deeper meaning and understanding.
Hey, friends! I’m workshopping a new format today. A case study, a resource, and a question. Hope you like it. Let’s get into it.
A Case Study
In the mid-90s, researchers at the Lego Group developed a facilitation methodology in which participants build 3D Lego models in response to prompts and then tell stories about them. The strategy is designed to enhance innovation and business practices by promoting reflection and dialogue.
The methodology is called LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, and since 2010, it has been licensed under an open-source community-based model.
If you’re skeptical that playing with Legos would be a productive use of your professional time, then you’re just like I was before I attended such a facilitated session a few summers back.
What I found, despite my skepticism, was that compared to most professional development seminars, where attendees mostly just stare at the clock, praying for it to move faster, there was nearly perfect participation by attendees.
Here’s the thing: everyone already knows how to build with Legos, and the build prompts aren’t in search of verbal responses, which some might be self-conscious about sharing. All that is required from participants to get started is to begin snapping pieces together. Building with Legos lowers the barriers of participation almost immediately.
Since Legos are pretty low-resolution building materials, no one model ever really looks that much better than another. They mostly end up being symbolic rather than literal representations, and that forces participants to attach abstract meaning to their concrete models when it’s time to talk about them.
What I found was that once participants started building, the gears in their minds began turning, and they were far more inclined to continue participating, engaging in discussion, and exploring the realm of possibility.
In essence, meaning followed making.
In March, I’m slated to lead a professional development session at my district’s teacher institute day, and I’ll be using the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology as a launching point to demonstrate strategies for increasing student engagement, especially when it comes to abstract concepts and ideas.
My co-facilitator and I will be taking things a step further and also demonstrating how 2D collage could be used similarly to 3D Legos. Because collage is made of found materials like magazines, newspapers, and photos that are cut, ripped, glued, and taped together, it’s a much more accessible artistic medium than, say, painting or sculpture.
If you’re interested in leading such an exercise yourself with students or colleagues, see the prompts below in the resource section.
A Resource
The prompts below could be used with either Lego or collage to get participants making something they can attach meaning to. Follow the steps below:
Give a prompt
Offer participants time to build/collage
Have participants explain how their model/collage addresses the prompt
Ask possible follow-up questions
ELA
A Character’s Inner World
Design a model or collage of what you think is happening inside a main character’s heart or mind.
Ask:
What represents emotions?
What conflicts are present?
What is hidden?
Math
Where Math Breaks (Great for identifying misconceptions)
Design a model or collage showing where people usually get confused in this topic.
Ask:
What causes the confusion?
How could it be fixed?
Science
Build the System
Design a model or collage demonstrating how a scientific process or system works (Ecosystem, Energy transfer, Cell function, Weather patterns, etc.).
Ask:
What changes?
What depends on something else?
Social Studies
Build History as a Story
Design a model or collage demonstrating how an historical event changed people’s lives.
Ask:
What actions caused this change?
What fears or hopes might people have had?
Did power structures shift?
Business
Build Customer Experience
Build how a customer feels from first contact to final purchase.
Ask:
Where is frustration?
Where is delight?
Fine Arts
Build Meaning in Art
Build the story or message inside your artwork.
Ask:
What do viewers notice first?
What is hidden?
When sharing back, I’d encourage the Think > Pair > Share format, in which participants are given time to think independently, then share with a partner or two, and then share more broadly with the whole class.
If you implement this strategy in your class, or modify it for the workplace, I’d love to hear about.
A Question
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below:
What’s the best professional development (or corporate training) you’ve ever attended?
Let me know!
One More Thing
One of my goals is to foster a greater sense of community with this newsletter. As such, I’d love to know what creative things you are up to and to feature them here.
Drop me a line via email to let me know what you have cooking. Can’t wait to hear about it.
Until next time,
—Mike
Thanks, Mike! Occasionally I'm self aware enough to see this in myself, but it's clear as day when I watch my kids.