USING LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® TO ARTICULATE UNDERSTANDING AND SHARE MENTAL MODELS

Abstract

Knowledge sharing is at the heart of pedagogy and there are a wide range of methods to assess understanding, retention and application of knowledge. Identifying gaps in understanding, where misunderstanding or misinterpretation of knowledge has occurred remains challenging. This paper focuses on the question: how do we measure the differences and similarities between the mental model in the head of the tutor and the mental model in the head of the student? LEGO® Serious Play® is a structured method of using LEGO® bricks for problem solving and sharing tacit knowledge based on the Piaget’s constructivism theory. The method encourages participants to externalize their understanding, building a physical representation of their mental model. Participants share their mental model by explaining its physical representation in the LEGO® model. This paper presents the results of a pilot study to explore how LEGO® Serious Play® may be used to assess the extent to which the mental model in the head of the tutor has been successfully shared with students. The work focuses on how the method can be used to identify whether students have developed a similar mental model in their heads and how similarities and differences can be surfaced. The initial pilot study suggests that LEGO® Serious Play® is an effective method for creating a safe environment to externalize and share mental models, promoting meaningful discussion. This research will be of interest to tutors who are seeking novel ways of encouraging students to share their thoughts and build richer mental models.