Thursday, February 9, 2012

Introduction to Engineering with Legos







LEGOS have been one of the favorite toys of children for years.  If you are like me, you remember playing with block shapes of various dimensions.  But the LEGOS our children play with now are made up of a variety of amazing pieces.  These possibilities include sets which allow them to learn about problem solving, engineering, science, and robotics.  A few months ago I found the LEGO Education website and while at first I thought of my own daughter and how she would love learning with these sets, my thoughts soon turned to the many classrooms full of students who would love to learn in this fashion as well.  With the support of my department, I am so excited to help deliver the first of which I hope are many "Engineering with LEGOS" professional developments for teachers.  For our first PD we will be using the Simple Machines Set and the AIMS Brick Layers II book,  which create a combination that is an excellent avenue for introducing elementary students to key simple machines. Teachers will discover how they can introduce basic physical science concepts such as gears, pulleys, levers, wheels and axles through observation, reasoning, prediction, and critical thinking into their classrooms while also incorporating technology, mathematics, and the arts. My hope is that this blog will become a living portfolio and resource to teachers who have taken the opportunity to bring this innovation to their students.

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