Students of today will become problem solvers in the future. LEGO Education prepares students with necessary STEAM knowledge and skills to encourage students to develop their own creative thinking and innovation.
LEGO Education teaching equipment has been an innovation in education with products and equipment for educating students from kindergarten to university. For educators, LEGO Education teaching equipment is used to attract students in a way that can rarely be achieved by other teaching methods. Using both LEGO Education and the latest teaching method known as STEAM (Science; Technology; Engineering; Arts; Mathematics) teachers are able to create various activities and lessons are extremely interesting for their students.
LEGO Education was founded in the early 80s, in an attempt to use LEGO equipment in education. Following the learning philosophy of the 4 “Cs”: Connect; Construct; Contemplate; Continue, LEGO Education helps:
Students prepare to acquire STEAM knowledge and skills
LEGO Education teaching equipment helps turn STEAM’s abstract concepts into reality by using new, non-book teaching methods, and helps students to easily and conveniently understand new knowledge.
Bring STEAM into real life
LEGO Education enables STEAM’s subjects to relate more closely to everyday life. The unique combination of blocks, friendly learning software, and LEGO projects helps students to experience STEAM’s subjects realistically in a way that is easy to understand, and thus building their own confidence to enquire and ask questions, as well as encouraging them to find solutions for each problem themselves.
Develop thinking skills and creativity
Solutions created by LEGO Education are effective, systematic, clear structural teaching methods and relate closely to the training program of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. These solutions help students to understand even highly challenging subjects, encourages them to develop critical thinking skills, to develop ideas, and to make their own creations.
Develop necessary skills for students in the 21st century
STEAM and LEGO together show students how theories, equations and plans can help find solutions to problems and lead the way to success in real life. The students learn how to build and develop necessary skills for the 21st century, through life themes as well as material and digital creations. Teaching both STEAM and LEGO Education to be effective requires strong teamwork, and this helps students to improve their communication skills, their sense of independence, and builds their confidence by working collaboratively in groups of other students.
How is LEGO Education combined with STEAM?
Mathematics
LEGO Education makes Mathematics be more practical and meaningful to students. It turns learning modern mathematical concepts into practical and intuitive experiences, thus, making them easier for students to understand. LEGO Education encourages and develops students with skills to solve conundrums by using real life examples. Evaluating, approximating and quantifying the speed, distance, time and weight by using models which can express complex concepts is just one way to teach in a manner that is interesting and captivating for students.
Technology
What is gravity? How to use a compressed air system air to lift heavy objects? Can a robot lift heavier objects than its own weight?
The LEGO Education teaching equipment for science will give students a chance to be a real scientists and will teach them how to answer the above questions and at the same time meet the national training objectives. Practical experiments will bring abstract concepts into life with ease, while encouraging the spirit of learning in students. With a deeper understanding of the scientific principles through the above experienced methods, students will build their self-confidence and critical thinking skills, to discover and research the real challenges of the world.
LEGO helps maintain their passion and love for science, because for LEGO, any child would be able to achieve success at a level corresponding to their abilities. With the above exciting activities, students build and research everything from the basic principles of machinery to advanced engines of the world. They will also get important insights on science, as well as related subjects such as mathematics, engineering and technology.
Technology & Engineering
LEGO Education provides inspirations for future engineers. The world needs engineers and this is a fact that nobody can deny. Nurturing the spirit of learning for technologies and engineering in children from an early age can help narrow the gap of development. Students are inspired and attracted to technological challenges in the world through the attractive LEGO Education tools. From ground breaking ideas to the development of a working prototype, students develop their own ability to solve problems through critical thinking skills and creativity.
Discovering how technology and engineering works practically by providing students with tools and activities to learn enables students to find practical solutions. Constructing and discovering machines and mechanisms, researching mechanical machinery, learning about gear systems is all part of this learning experience. These tools open the minds of students beyond the scope of books, and makes their learning a new reality.
It’s easy and efficient to combine LEGO education teaching equipment and STEAM’s subjects into everyday classroom lessons. This combination encourages learning by requiring students to solve related challenges and problems. The above educational approaches increase the effectiveness of the learning curve (the relationship between the learning process and accumulated experience and results in progressive achievement) and helps all students to reach their training objectives.
Arts
During certain times in the past, most people have played with LEGO items. These puzzle blocks helped many individuals to understand basic technology and science. Just remembering these puzzle blocks can often stir up old memories, and may hopefully still influence continuing creativity.
Nathan Sawaya, a great LEGO builder, has shared his creative art with people for years. He traveled many times around the world with his own “Art of blocks” exhibition. His artistic works always suggest a special passion, especially among youth. Students view his sculptures and realize that they too can do the same thing. LEGO blocks are popular, and everyone is familiar with the process of how to build with them. That is the point! These skills promote a positive attitude in students who feel the “can do the same thing” psychology. It helps build a strong foundation of entrepreneurship and a pioneering spirit which are all part of innovation. Using LEGO blocks in teaching, the teachers can encourage to this way of thinking, therefore nurturing students’ skills in the arts and thinking innovatively.
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Starting from the 2016 – 2017 school year, aside from the ongoing clubs focused on skills, aptitudes and learning, The Western Australian School System will start a Technology club, which will apply the STEAM teaching methods according to Australian program with the assistance of LEGO equipment for primary and secondary school students.
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