LEGO® Education announces resources and lesson plans to support hands-on learning in the new school year
Whether learning happens in person, virtually, or hybrid, LEGO Education solutions are flexible and engaging, sparking curiosity and building confidence. Supported by resources, lesson plans, and a digital community, educators and parents can create playful, hands-on learning experiences in the new school year and beyond
Billund, Denmark (August 27, 2020) – Today, LEGO® Education unveiled new resources and lesson plans to ensure playful, hands-on STEAM learning experiences can easily be adapted to wherever learning happens. For 40 years, LEGO Education solutions have been purposefully designed to increase student engagement and confidence for all learners. With these free online resources, teachers and parents can continue STEAM learning in a hands-on way whether in person, online, or a mix of both.
Esben Stærk, president of LEGO Education, said: “It’s more important than ever to continue learning through play – wherever the learning happens. LEGO Education solutions provide playful learning experiences that not only teach important STEAM skills, but also social and emotional skills that together help build the confidence and resilience needed among students, teachers, and parents to rebuild and thrive this school year – and for years to come.”
New science and math lessons incorporate both physical activity and hybrid learning
LEGO Education is launching a brand-new unit, called Training Trackers, to teach core science and math concepts with its middle school solution, LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime. With personally relevant and engaging lessons, the new unit will support in-person, virtual, and hybrid learning with a focus on core subjects to complete the robust STEAM curriculum designed for SPIKE Prime.
Featuring seven lessons, the unit is focused on physical science and data – complete with new coding blocks to better collect and visualize sensor data. Taking hands-on learning a step further, students will learn about kinetic energy, speed, potential energy, and more as they stretch, walk, and squat jump to collect data in real-time and then analyze and interpret it. To support hybrid learning, each lesson plan identifies which of the five learning stages can be completed asynchronously or in person.
The new SPIKE Prime Training Trackers unit will be available this fall in English on LEGOeducation.com/lessons and will automatically download to the SPIKE App in a new software update. Additional languages supported by the SPIKE App are expected later this year.
STEAM learning goes virtual
Teachers can adapt any LEGO Education lesson to virtual learning with the help of new guides, which include tips on preparing for online learning, engaging online learners, and managing materials at home. Since every lesson incorporates hands-on learning and collaboration, students get needed sensory breaks and develop social and emotional skills even during virtual learning.
In addition, LEGO Education teamed up with popular coding and robotics platforms CoderZ to feature a virtual SPIKE Prime experience and allow students to practice their coding and STEAM skills in an entirely online setting. The online experience can complement hands-on building activities with a physical SPIKE Prime Set, either before or in parallel.
Teachers can also engage with students via LEGO Education lessons using the popular Flipgrid video discussion platform. Using discussion prompts and short videos, teachers can see and hear from students and foster fun and supportive social learning, whether in class or at home. Visit the Flipgrid Discovery Library to see available LEGO Education content with more being added soon.
Building a community of educators
Launched this summer, the LEGO Education Community is an online platform that brings together passionate educators and technologists from around the world who believe play and exploration build successful, lifelong learners. Educators and parents are encouraged to inspire, support, and learn from one another, while connecting with their peers. The community features active discussions, a lesson plan exchange, community events and challenges, exclusive updates from LEGO Education, and more.
“I’m a teacher, but I’m also a lifelong learner. The LEGO Education Community is a diverse and exciting group of educators willing to share their expertise, as well as learn from others and take these skills back to the children we teach. Sharing and collaborating on ideas with other teachers from around the world will be an incredible resource for both new and experienced teachers, especially as we look to adapt and continue learning in the new school year,” said Jacob Woolcock, Head of Computing and Digital Learning at Penpol School in Hayle, Cornwall, U.K. and new LEGO Education Master Educator.
The LEGO Education Master Educator Program recognizes and celebrates innovative educators with a passion for and expertise in hands-on learning. Announced today, the new 2020 Master Educator cohort joins over 200 members, representing local U.S. school districts from 39 states as well as schools in Australia, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Master Educators also take an active role in the community by sharing best practices and tips on STEAM learning, classroom management, and implementation.
Details about the program, application process, and program eligibility can be found at: LEGOeducation.com/MasterEducators.
New grant program provides learning solutions for thousands of underserved students in the U.S.
Earlier this month, it was announced that LEGO Education joined Intel, CDW-G, First Book and LEGO Foundation to provide underserved schools in the U.S. with holistic education resources to help learning continue for students impacted by the digital divide. For more information, including the 45 districts receiving the donation of laptops, internet connectivity and LEGO Education learning solutions, please visit here: firstbook.org/creatinglearningconnections/.
About LEGO Education
LEGO® Education offers hands-on, playful STEAM learning experiences based on the LEGO® system of bricks, hardware, software and content for students and their teachers in early learning, primary, and secondary education as well as through after-school programs and competitions. These solutions create an environment for active, collaborative learning where students build skills for their future, a lifelong love for learning and confidence in their ability to learn and solve problems, setting them up for lifelong success.
LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group. ©2020 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.
