LEGO EDUCATION by Kontur design

Get the full story of: who we are, what we believe, and what we do.

Facts and ﬁgures about the LEGO Group 1932 Founded by Ole Kirk Christiansen 2006 Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, CEO More than 7,000 employees worldwide Sales in more than 130 countries

Business areas LEGO play materials – toys LEGOLAND® parks – amusement parks LEGO Lifestyle – clothes

LEGO Education

LEGO Education – teaching materials

LEGO Education’s goal is to be part of a young person’s entire preschool and school career. With our wide and diverse product range we would like children to associate LEGO® sets with fun-ﬁlled, rich learning experiences, and for teachers and child carers to see them as vital educational tools where children are totally engaged, their creativity challenged and their knowledge and understanding enhanced.

LEGO® landmarks 1932 Production of wooden toys 1949 Production of ﬁrst LEGO bricks 1955 LEGO System of Play 1958 First LEGO bricks with tube structure 1962 First LEGO wheels

Traditionally we have focused on supporting early childhood development and on areas such as technology, science and math; subjects where teachers often ﬁnd it difﬁcult to win the commitment and interest of young people. By making any task involving LEGO resources fun and achievable, experience has shown that pupils become involved and dedicated.

1969 Production of first LEGO DUPLO® bricks 1974 First LEGO minifigures 1979 Opening of first LEGOLAND theme park 1982 LEGO Education was established under the name of LEGO DACTA Ltd 1986 First LEGO Technic set 1998 First LEGO MINDSTORMS® set 2000 Introduction of the giant LEGO SOFT bricks 2001 First BIONICLE® set 2003 Introduction of Make & Create portal 2004 Introduction of the LEGO QUATROTM bricks

Creativity

Selfexpression Imagination

Quality v

Active fun

Endless ideas

Playful learning v

Trusted

Fun

Extra Learning Dimension 1. Creativity 2. Problem solving 3. Team working

Nothing is more important for our children than being able to follow their natural desires

Extra Learning Dimension LEGO Education’s 25 years of experience has taught us the

for learning and creativity. If we manage to LEGO® bricks

lenge children just right, we have a good

effectiveness of learning by actually making something.

chance of seeing the next generation not

When children of all ages are presented with challenges in a structured and managed environment, these tasks

Storage Solutions

only living up to our standards, but in many respects going beyond them.

become key stepping stones in their development into

Associate Professor Hans Henrik Knoop

being creative thinkers, problem solvers and effective team players.

create environments that support and chal-

Teacher’s guides / Activity Packs

of the Danish University of Education

More than just bricks LEGO Education designs complete solutions that deliberately stimulate creativity, problem-solving and team-working

Software and Software Guides

skills. We call this the Extra Learning Dimension. Our solutions are more than bricks. Our sets include activity packs, teacher guides and programming tools. They meet the goals for early childcare practitioners and are particularly relevant in schools within the ﬁelds of science, technology and math. In after-school environments they provide playful and educationally-rich activities.

Learning by Making We believe optimal learning occurs when children get the opportunity to explore the world on their own, but in a guided environment. When children actively construct things in the physical world it helps them greatly build knowledge in their minds. This new knowledge enables them to create ever more sophisticated solutions, yielding more skills, more knowledge, and more solved challenges in a self-reinforcing

The more empowered children feel, the more they

cycle.

enjoy their classes, and the more they begin to take charge of their own learning processes. Seymour Papert, MIT Professor Emeritus

“In my opinion, schools should teach children to be curious about the things around them - i.e. how to solve problems

Problem Solving

and where to look for solutions and ﬁnd answers. If you give children those tools they can solve any problem. Because

In an increasingly complex and pressurized world the need

LEGO Education tools allow children open-ended problem-

for fresh solutions to problems is more important than ever.

solving, children get curious, and with the help of the teacher

Society no longer asks for the reproduction of knowledge,

children can ﬁnd answers to their questions.”

but demands innovation, creativity and a whole new way

Chris Rogers, Associate Professor

of thinking. Intelligence is not just what is inside your head,

of Mechanical Engineering at Tufts University, USA

but knowing what to do with what is inside your head.

Educational solutions from LEGO Education presents students with problems and then provides them with opportunities to work together to ﬁnd the answer. This

The ability to acquire new knowledge

Creative thinking

allows them to think creatively in a cooperative and communicative atmosphere whilst gaining greater knowledge.

Problem solving

Communicative skills Co-operative skills

In a State of Flow LEGO Education solutions are designed to cater for

Challenges

children’s individual differences and needs. We do this by presenting challenges in a way that will waken their interest, or build on their existing knowledge bank. We present them with tasks that can have several solutions, and where there is more than one way to approach the

Excessive challenge may cause anxiety Optimal challenge leads to optimal learning

problem. In this way we help children to remain in a positive state of ﬂow. Insufﬁcient challenge may cause boredom

If children are insufﬁciently challenged they learn next to nothing. Their body tells them through a signal of boredom that they are wasting their time. Instinctively they will seek a

Skills

higher challenge to match their skills. If they’re challenged way beyond their abilities, they may give up before they

situation. LEGO Education aims to ensure that children

begin and not even try to solve the problem because they

are optimally challenged by designing open-ended tasks,

are in a state of anxiety. Again, they learn next to nothing as

where children can contribute to the learning process in a

most of their mental energy is used on being in a defence

variety of ways and with a variety of roles.

Connect

“The more empowered children feel, the more they enjoy their classes, and the more they begin to take charge of their own learning proces”

Associate Professor Hans Henrik Knoop of the Danish University of Education

Construct

Continue

Contemplate

Connect – Construct – Contemplate – Continue LEGO Education activities are designed to support a four-

An important aspect of the effective learning process is the

step learning process: Connect, Construct, Contemplate,

Contemplate phase. This involves students taking time to

and Continue.

think about what they have seen or constructed, thereby deepening their understanding of what they’ve just achieved

One of the key aspects to learning by making is the fact

or experienced.

that children learn best when they can either relate new experiences to their existing knowledge bank or are expo-

The Continue phase builds on the natural urge to want to

sed to an idea so compelling that it inspires them to learn

know more. Seeking to learn more will lead students to a

more about it. Hence, the Connect phase.

new Connect phase, thus allowing them to enter a positive learning spiral, where they overcome increasingly difﬁcult

The Construct phase is all about building things in the real

challenges.

world and then the children piecing together in their minds what they have learnt from the process. They are given

This structure is the backbone of all teacher and student

particular assignments which encourage them to plan and

material from LEGO Education.

then build solutions, perhaps even ending up with their own software program.

Preschool 1 1/2 to 5+

Preschool â &#x201E; 1 1/2 to 5+ Playing the game of life

Their future role in the wider community is further developed

LEGO Education stimulates early childhood development

by play theme sets which allow them to observe and explore

through play themes such as family life, communities,

similarities and differences between people of other natio-

animals and transport, while providing tools for free play,

nalities and cultures, and the way they live. Our construction

exploration and construction. Our sets promote self-ex-

sets also allow children to investigate how simple structures

pression, creativity and learning by making

and mechanisms work and to experience concepts such as gravity, action and reaction and and order and sequence.

The sets are designed for teachers and carers to work with up to six children at a time. The themes aim to allow

Creative construction for creative development

children to discover themselves through role play and to

Creativity is fundamental to successful learning. It enables

develop their knowledge and understanding of the world.

children to make connections between one area of learning

Through topics like animal care young children begin to

and another, and so extend their understanding.

learn about things like food chains, changing seasons. They can also practice life ordering skills of sorting and

Children deserve a stimulating environment in which origina-

categorizing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and much, much more.

lity and expressiveness are valued. They need a wide range of activities that enable them to use and develop their many

A hospital setting on the other hand is ideal for getting

senses. In the areas art, music, dance, and role and imagina-

young children to explore emotions related to illness and

tive play, they beneďŹ t from having time to explore ideas and

birth and for generally caring for each other. It helps them

concepts. All of these are catered for in the LEGO Education

grasp the sense of community and the role of the emer-

sets.

gency services.

School Start 3 to 6+

School Start ⁄ 3 to 6+ Day One at school is the biggest scheduled change in a

Early science

child’s life, and parents and educators are increasingly

Our Early Science sets help children to explore some of

concerned about how well prepared children are to take

the basic forces of nature and learn about simple mecha-

that ﬁrst big step. Will they be able to survive the daily

nisms by designing machines that actually work. They ﬁnd

challenges that school and a whole new world will create?

out what makes a building stable and then test its strength. Early science solutions from LEGO Education encourage

LEGO Education solutions help young children learn a

youngsters to observe, predict, question and test their ideas

range of skills that will hold them in good stead throughout

– all-important skills for budding designers, scientists and

their entire school career – and beyond. We tackle math,

engineers. One of the key features of our science sets is

science and literacy in a way that is easy to grasp and,

that, having built the models, the pupils turn from engineers

best of all, fun.

to scientists by putting the models to work.

Early math

Early literacy

LEGO Education takes a hands-on and game-like approach

Our LEGO letter tiles are a great supplement to pencil

to teaching math at this early stage. Repetition and the

and paper exercises. They provide a hands-on method for

ability to memorize are crucial elements in the learning

children to recognize letters, explore sounds, and literally

process, and here they develop side-by-side in the name

build whole words or sentences.

of play and fun.

Using game boards, DUPLO® bricks and simple LEGO® devices, children get to grips with classifying, counting and recognizing shapes, patterns and numbers, and solving simple math’s problems. 19

Science and Technology 5 to 11+

Science and Technology ⁄ 5 to 11+ At every level of school life, LEGO Education services the

All LEGO Education primary science and technology so-

requirements of teacher and pupil. Here as young children

lutions are designed to enable pupils to behave as young

start to make the transition from learning through play to

scientists and engineers; developing the following types of

a more academic approach, our material ﬁts ever-more

skills:

closely with speciﬁc curriculum programs. • Test ideas using evidence from observation and measuInvent, Investigate and Discover LEGO Education specializes in helping teachers introduce areas of the science and technology curriculum in a

rement • Ask questions that can be investigated scientiﬁcally and decide how to ﬁnd answers

hands-on, experimental way. Children explore problems

• Think about what might happen, or try things out

and invent their own solutions. They experiment with

• Make fair tests by changing single factors and observing

forces and motion, working with wheels and axles, levers

or measuring the effects

and pulleys. They investigate magnetism, friction, gravity

• Make systematic observations and measurements

and speed. They explore ways to generate, store and use

• Decide whether conclusions agree with any predictions

energy, and work with motorized and wind power. And they observe, predict, measure and record their experiences

made, and whether they enable further predictions • Review work and describe its signiﬁcance and limitations.

with their peers.

LEGO速 MINDSTORMS速 Education

Teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths with Robots Robotics is a popular and effective way for teachers to cover Science important areas of their science, technology, engineering 速

速

and maths curricula. The LEGO MINDSTORMS Education

Investigate transfer of energy, force, speed, power relationships, and the effect of friction

series is tailor-made for classroom and after-school club use. It includes construction sets, programming tools and

Technology

activity packs.

Program and control input and output devices; use wireless communications technology; research and share

Through robotics students get to grips with techniques that

information via networks; use multimedia in the classroom

are used in the real world of science, engineering and design. They design, build and program fully functional models. Engineering And they learn to behave as young scientists, carrying out

Brainstorm solutions; choose one, build it, test it and

simple investigations, calculating and measuring behaviours, evaluate it and recording and presenting their results. They work together, with real-life problems, hands-on, solving them imagi- Maths natively by sharing, communicating and developing ideas.

Measure distance, circumference, and rotational speed, use coordinate systems, convert decimals and fractions,

Visit MINDSTORMSeducation.com

Teachers can use robotics to reinforce the school curriculum metric and customary units, apply mathematical reasoning

for more about teaching

in the following ways:

robotics.

Students can program their MINDSTORMS Education robot to see using the ultrasonic sensor, to react to sounds using the sound sensor, to avoid obstacles using the touch sensor, and for example to ﬁnd a red ball and slap it with the hockey stick using the light sensor and interactive servo motors.

Introducing the NXT Generation The intelligent NXT brick is the key feature in the latest generation of MINDSTORMS solutions. It is a powerful microcomputer that includes onthe-brick programming options. The concept includes ultrasonic, sound, light and touch sensors and interactive servo motors, with inbuilt rotation sensors. The NXT also has wireless Bluetooth® technology, which means that it can communicate with a variety of other wireless tools such as mobile phones.

Beginner to advanced programming Based on the industry-leading LabVIEWTM, the software is an icon dragand-drop programming tool. Its low threshold, high ceiling nature enables programming from beginner to advanced, making it relevant for students as young as eight, and right up to university level.

MINDSTORMS Education solutions are developed in cooperation with world class partners: National Instruments, NI, and Carnegie Mellon University, CMU. NI has developed the software platform and CMU’s Robotics Academy has come up with a series of digital curriculum activity packs for students from 8 to 16+.

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education

Educational Global Community Since its release in 1998 LEGO MINDSTORMS has become so popular in schools and after school clubs, that today there is a global community of educational robotics enthusiasts and experts.

Tufts University’s Center for Engineering Educational Outreach, CEEO, is a key player in supporting and cultivating this community.

CEEO is the master of ROBOLABTM, which is the original programming platform used for LEGO MINDSTORMS for schools with the RCX intelligent brick. ROBOLAB has been continuously developed and maintained by CEEO since the product launch in 1998. Today CEEO supports users of both RCX and NXT platforms.

One of CEEO’s most recent initiatives is the launch of LEGOengineering.com in partnership with LEGO Education. The site provides a meeting place for experienced users and newcomers to educational robotics.

LEGO Education Centers LEGO Education Centers are a great alternative for parents

Our World

eager to ﬁnd out-of-school activities that not only entertain

Children aged 6 to 9 years naturally develop a growing

their children, but also help them to develop important life

interest in the world around them. The activities at LEGO

skills.

Education Centers capitalize on this interest. Children are given opportunities to explore and model objects from the

The centers are run by qualiﬁed staff, fully trained to guide

real world and learn the skills necessary to become expert

youngsters through a series of tailor-made activities. Acti-

builders and designers. They are taught principles of stable

vities are designed to help children become independent

structures and the functions of various components in

thinkers, able to understand and explain fully their own

creating simple and powered machines and mechanisms.

ideas and work constructively to develop solutions with

They learn to investigate principles, test their own ideas

others.

and improve on their own solutions.

LEGO Education Centers offer the following programs:

World of Inventions With a sound introduction to construction and mechanisms,

My World

youngsters are ready to move into the world of automation

Activities for 3 to 6-year-olds focus on this young group’s

and simulation. Activities for children aged 9+ are based on

interest in themselves and their immediate surroundings.

the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® range of educational products,

Children learn to construct models and develop their own

which teach youngsters how to build and program their

play scenarios. In this way they explore their own feelings

own robots to carry out a variety of tasks and functions.

and emotions, and learn to understand the feelings and

Once youngsters understand the basics of mechanics and

emotions of others. They also learn to make sense of their

robotics a whole new world of invention opens up to them.

own close environment by exploring the various roles that people play at home and in their local community. Activi-

LEGO Education Centers are today established in Japan,

ties are based on popular topics such as families, homes,

China, Korea, Singapore and Australia. This year the ﬁrst

animals and transport.

center in the US will open in New York City. 27

LEGO MINDSTORMS Centers LEGO MINDSTORMS Center activities are compelling

Children respond better to challenges that are appealing and

hands-on robotic challenges, guided by facilitators. They

relevant. Therefore LEGO MINDSTORMS Center challenges:

take place in specially designed environments that provide a forum for children from 8 years and up to develop an

• Are the theme based.

interest and understanding of science and technology.

• Spark children’s imagination. • Are precise and measurable, yet open-ended, to cater to a

The facilitator introduces a challenge. The children then

variety of learning styles and speeds.

design, program, and test robots on special playing ﬁelds to see how well they work. The process is similar to that

Target groups

applied by companies when they develop new products –

Center activities have been developed for girls and boys,

and it’s “awesome”, “nice”, and “cool” according to visitors!

their families, and school groups. They also lend themselves to birthday party and corporate events (the grown-ups are as

Working in pairs, children are encouraged to try different

enthusiastic as the children!).

strategies when designing and programming robots. Through this they develop:

Where to ﬁnd a LEGO MINDSTORMS Center Today, more than 40 partners (science museums, leisure

• Team work and communication skills.

parks, etc.) have established Centers around the world,

• Problem solving and engineering skills.

including in USA, Chile, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan,

• An understanding that there is not one correct answer to

Norway, Sweden, Denmark, N. Ireland, Germany, Greece, and

a practical problem, but a number of possible solutions.

the UK. For more information, please visit our website at www.LEGOMINDSTORMS.com/centers 29

LEGO® Competitions The LEGO Group supports a number of organisations that

productivity of the world’s oceans for present and future

stage events designed to stimulate fun and creative lear-

generations.

ning in a competitive forum. World Robot Olympiad First LEGO League

World Robot Olympiad WRO is a parallel organization to

One of the most important community projects for the

FIRST LEGO League targeting the Asia-Paciﬁc market.

LEGO Group is FIRST LEGO League. It’s an international robotics team competition for children aged from about 9

WRO was launched in March 2004 to cater for robotics

to 16, developed in partnership between the LEGO Group

fans primarily in Asia and the Paciﬁc. Schools in China,

and the USA based organization FIRST. The importance

Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippi-

is underlined by the fact that despite living in the most

nes, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia

scientiﬁc era ever, in many countries young people are l

all took part in the inaugural Olympiad.

ess interested in engineering and the sciences. The League aims to regenerate the interest by challenging groups

The WRO organization is supported by an advisory com-

to confront real-life issues.

mittee made up of dealers working for LEGO Education in Singapore, China, Korea and Japan.

Each year FIRST LEGO League sets a different challenge for teams to work on, based on a theme. In 2005, the

Teams typically rally in schools or after school clubs, and

competition was called Ocean Odyssey. FIRST LEGO

are supported by adults. Team leaders, many of them

League teams from 23 countries were asked to travel

teachers, often report that children become so engaged

to the depths of the sea to answer a distress call to ﬁnd

that it is difﬁcult to get them to leave the classroom at the

solutions that will sustain the health, biodiversity, and

end of the session! 31

Partners LEGO Education operates with a global network of distributors and partners. In the United States we have a joint venture partnership with Pitsco Holding Ltd, which operates for us on the US market as LEGO Education, selling our complete product range and supporting a number of key distributors. In Europe we have a newly established partner, DACTA Ltd, responsible for supporting and supplying all key accounts in Western Europe. For Eastern Europe and South America, we sell primarily via projects to Ministries of Education as well as through a number of distributors. These efforts are coordinated from LEGO Education headquarters in Denmark. For Asia-Paciﬁc we have a sales ofﬁces in Singapore, Japan, Korea and Australia, with sales people supporting distributors as well as the LEGO Education Center partners across the region. LEGO Education also has two key development partners in the USA: Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Academy in Pittsburgh, and Tufts University’s Center for Engineering Educational Outreach in Boston. These partners are involved in curriculum and software development for LEGO Education, and are active contributors to the growing global community of teachers and adult carers using LEGO MINDSTORMS® education concepts in schools and after school clubs.

“Intelligence is no longer a matter of the amount of knowledge you possess, but knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do!” Seymour Papert, MIT Professor Emeritus

Awards and Recognition The following are examples of awards presented to LEGO Education in recent years. Tech Machines, combined with DUPLO® remote control devices won the British Education Resources Award 2006. Judges said: Colourful, well priced, and great for many aspects of learning through play. These machines are a perfect early lesson in control technology.

Digita2001 Deutscher Bildungssoftware Preis – Special Award given to the software program used for LEGO® MINDSTORMS® for Schools. The jury emphasized the exceptional didactic and technical software concept, which succeeds in combining new and old learning processes, allowing for individual learning curves fully adapted to students from age 8 to 16+.

Gold Award – UK Practical Preschool Award 2005 to the LEGO® SOFT Imagination Set. The set features large soft bricks and new 2D elements that can be attached to the bricks to give them living features.

In 2000 LEGO Education won two awards: The American Early Childhood Directors Awards and the British Educational Resources Awards for Special Needs. For the latter, judges said that LEGO SOFT would enhance the everyday life of special needs pupils by allowing them to experiment with their own physical capacity and their relationship with the world around them.

Worlddidac Quality Charter, June 2004 awarded to LEGO Education. The charter aims to increase the quality of learning and teaching by utilizing the best educational products available. LEGO Education won the award for a number of key reasons, including the extent of penetration of educational institutions worldwide.

In 2000 the BETT award, based on nominations from British teachers and the British educational industry, went to the software program used in the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® for Schools kits. The prize is designed to reward excellence in product design and usage and to reﬂect achievement in all areas of information and control technology.

The British Education Resources Award for Early Years Resources 2003. The awards highlight the quality, innovation and diversity of educational products and resources. Judges said that the range takes the LEGO Group into a new dimension for imaginative small-world play.

LEGO Education has received a large number of other concept and design prizes and awards over the years. These include: Worlddidac Award 1998 Teachers’ Choice Award, Learning 1997 New Media Prize 1997 Gold Award 1996, Worlddidac Foundation First Prize ACITT 1994 Awards Early Childhood News Award 1994 Best Education Product, MacUser 1994 Awards Teachers’ Choice Learning 1991

Worlddidac Award, 2002 for LEGO® MINDSTORMS® for Schools, and Teachers Guides. In particular, the jury appreciated the product’s pedagogical innovation, degree of interactivity and performance/cost ratio. The Eddy Awards, Best Education Software 2001.– won by the software program used for the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® for Schools kits. The Eddy Awards are the Apple Macintosh industry’s highest distinction for breakthrough product development and are given to the year’s top software and hardware products.

Studies and Testimonials LEGO Education supports a variety of initiatives taken by universities, government institutions and other bodies to examine trends in education, or measure the effects of using our solutions. Here are examples of recent studies. You can download full reports for each case at LEGO.com/education LEGO® MINDSTORMS® for Early Years Education The Design and Making Centre in Cornwall, England, carried out a pilot study, summer 2005, to examine how children in a nursery school environment use and respond to the LEGO MINDSTORMS for Schools system. The study concluded that the LEGO system capitalises on children’s natural enjoyment of designing and making activities and enables children to apply and develop learning in all six areas of the foundation stage curriculum. The most significant benefits were developments in concentration, manual manipulation and hand-eye coordination, language and communication, and cooperation. Nursery leaders noted the most significant benefits were for boys who otherwise found it difficult to engage themselves in everyday nursery activities. How Children Tell Their Future In a series of in-depth interviews in six countries, 8 to 14 year-olds reveal what their dream school would be like. Their wish-list includes a desire to learn how to learn; having an education tailored to individual needs; learning by combining different media and having a spacious and enchanting physical environment.

UK, USA and Germany shows that a much larger percentage of parents consider the ”softer” competencies – such as social skills and communication – to be more significant than reading, writing and arithmetic. World Bank/MIT research program in Peru A 12-month research program carried out with students aged 6 to 11 in 130 Peruvian schools measured significant improvements in selfesteem, educational skills and problem-solving abilities. The research was developed for the Peruvian Government and the World Bank, and supported by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT. By introducing a learning-by-making approach to teaching, using LEGO Education classroom solutions, the schoolchildren made significant progress and came to understand complex mechanical problems. Results were also seen in mathematical skills, which improved by as much as 60%, in language skills and in students’ overall self-esteem. Sheffield Hallam University Study Inspired by the Peruvian study, the UK Department for Education and Skills introduced LEGO Education materials into the curriculum of a large junior school in Sheffield. The program resulted in higher levels of student engagement and teacher motivation. Achievements exceeded those of students taught in previous years using different media. Progress was made in National Curriculum areas for design and technology, English, mathematics and key skills.

Preparing for School, Preparing for Life From public debate we often get the impression that there is an increasing tendency among parents to focus on their child’s acquisition of academic skills from an early age. But an Internet survey of parents in the