Welcome to the next set of builds, learning, and fun. Are you ready for some fun while thinking about critical thinking? Let’s start with the video and go from there!

(Google Doc version of this is available here)

Hello friends,

I want to welcome everyone to the second topic of Purposeful Play with LEGO Course. ICYMI I sent everyone a recap of December with submissions shared and more. Here it is again in case you want to check out the recap and video.

Purposeful Play with LEGO Course: Creativity Recap https://wp.me/p4covo-2C9

This month we are focusing on the skill and topic of Critical Thinking. This is something we are all trying to infuse more into our teaching, learning, and landscape of helping ourselves and others push to new levels of problem solving.

Before we dive into the content for the month I want to take time to thank those of you who have been active in the project to date. This course really depends on you and your willingness to share. With over 70 people in the course it is a golden opportunity to connect, share, question, and seek help from others in the course to challenge your thinking and teaching and learning. 

Don’t be bashful. Don’t doubt your ideas. The more we share and connect, the more powerful the learning. The Facebook Group is probably the best place to connect.

Okay, onwards to January!

I wanted to emphasize a few key ideas and provide a calendar after some questions and comments so far from participants. 

Below I have laid out the entire month of January.. This is just a sample calendar. Many of you will dive into the work from December this month and that is fine. We all have to be flexible based on the needs of our school, classroom, and situations. Please don’t feel like you cannot complete, share, and work through past ideas. We will have new faces join so it is all good. Find your pace and make it happen.

Remember to use this calendar as a sample guide. Nothing more, nothing less. There is a lot packed into the month. While I know many of you skim or skip the podcasts and resources, this is not a month to do this. None of the months are, but there are some critical voices and ideas captured in these resources that can really help you out. 

All materials can be found our project website

Please look things over, get active, and stay on track. We need to build a foundation of learning focused on creativity and how it is used across the globe so that in January we can begin to move into our next topic.

Key ideas for the month

• Embrace our own inner creativity. Time to bring it out of hiding
• Learn to play again ourselves and play with our students(regardless of their age)
• Find moments in our teaching day to sample LEGO and play in our learning space
• Create an opportunity that infuses creativity that aligns to our work 
• Share, network, and collaborate with others in the course
• Don’t be afraid to be you!

January Calendar for Critical Thinking

Ongoing throughout the month

• Answer and discussion on the Question of the Month
• Connecting with others on topics of interest
• Sharing how you sort and store your LEGO

Checklist of Action Items

• Read monthly newsletter and develop a plan of action
  • Share your plan with others in course over in the FB group(set your goals, share them, and allow others to help you stay accountable)
• Watch launch video
• Understand what we mean by critical thinking
• Listen to amazing podcast with LEGO ideas for the classroom with Alisha Bridges and with Liam Nilsen who is the Learning Experience Designer at The LEGO Foundation
• Build Challenge 1: Candy Dispenser Challenge 
• Build Challenge 2: Marble Maze Challenge
• Application Challenge: Create/share your own idea for critical thinking
• Bonus Build Challenge: Great Ball Contraption 
• Question of the Month: How do you sort and store your LEGO Elements?
• Share and connect in the online spaces!
• Celebrate and comment on other people ideas(we all need some loving!)
  • Appreciate the genius of others in this course. We all love to be appreciated and acknowledged.