Full disclosure: I am uncharmed by Lego. I have stepped on hundreds of Legos though my baby-sitting years and I have scooped countless Legos from the washing machine after my stepchildren ran their laundry. However, I respect Lego's lasting appeal and I am drawn to Lego's approachability in the myriad of makerspace tech and tools. But how to implement Lego in the library? The Epic Lego Wall.
A pro of the Epic Lego Wall? Its vertical execution. Something about the up-and-down of the Epic Lego Wall suggests collaboration to me in a way that horizontally executed Lego work spaces does not. I think it's that the "huddle and hoard" element is missing. You know, when you see a child claim rights to a selection of communal Legos and then the child hunkers their shoulders down over his or her Lego stash to communicate a physical boundary to potential Lego snatchers.
The vertical board insists on left-to-right-to-up-to-down orientation which, to me, promotes Lego interaction. You'll note I did not say "Lego sharing". I am a realist.
Another pro of the Epic Lego Wall is its fluidity of creation. In my world of mostly fixed schedule school library, maker spaces compete for time with book checkout and back-to-back classes. I like the idea of starting with a maker space that does not require project completion because there is no project. The maker space just exists there, waiting for a creator to begin building or begin prying Legos off the wall in order to build differently.
Epic Lego wall is universally approachable and worthwhile to all school libraries. Instead of allowing students to create with Lego for their allotted 40 minute library period and then put the Legos away, the Epic Lego Wall gives makers an audience for their creativity. As Colin Angevine and Josh Weisgrau (2016) state,
"The magic of the makerspace does not come from the tools in the room; instead the learning theory that guides makerspaces is founded upon the unique power of learning through creating shareable work."
The Epic Lego Wall never ends, there is no finished product, no circuit has to light up, no characters must be coded correctly for it to be a "success." The Epic Lego Wall is there to create simply for the sake of creating. In our highly anxious world of education, I imagine that as a relief for our students.
Site: http://renovatedlearning.com/2014/09/12/the-epic-library-lego-wall-how-to-build-one/
Situating Makerspaces in Schools. (2016, June 06). Retrieved November 01, 2018, from http://hybridpedagogy.org/situating-makerspaces-in-schools/
Heidi, I could not love this more! Although I myself was no fan of Legos, I have lived that #legolife for just about 18 years (and will hold on to my sons' stash forever) and I adore the creativity they inspire. The Lego Wall is brilliant - for all the reasons you so clearly pointed out in your post (I especially liked the fact that it avoids the hunkerer), and it really does seem DOABLE in even my middle school library (for little cost to start up and even less to maintain). Thank you for highlighting
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! I "inherited" the elementary school library I am in right now, and the previous librarian had a few mini versions of lego walls on the sides of book shelves. I cannot seem to find any actual legos, so I may need to splurge on that (or find donors). The kids ask about it all the time and I think it is an excellent "maker" tool when you have a fixed schedule with a limited amount of time per class. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a cool idea! Lego can be cheap and allow students to be creative. Also, by having it on the wall, it makes it easier for students to collaborate, like you said. Plus, having it on the wall saves a lot of space. Thanks for sharing this idea.
ReplyDeleteLove this idea of a Lego wall! Once the wall is built, the hard part is complete. I have been using DIY sticks (which is a huge success), but many students want me to save their creations until the next class. That's hard to do when I have a 8 more classes to teach for the week! The Lego wall would allow them to continue working even after library class is over. Great idea!
ReplyDeleteMaking a LEGO wall is a great idea. I can totally relate with your statement of kids becoming possessive of their "hoard" or LEGOs because I have seen it happen when I was the STEM Club coach at a previous school. Since I work in an elementary library, I think I would use this idea a little different than a wall. My school was originally a high school, and I have a massive high school sized circulation desk. I think it would be cool to apply the LEGO boards to the front of the desk and let the kids "decorate" it. This would allow for the little once to get their hands on things too. Thanks for sparking and idea for next year!
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