WHY LEGO SERIOUS PLAY WORKS SO WELL

The more we understand about learning theory, the better we understand and appreciate how and why LSP works. When we began training business consultants in the LSP method, we heard "This is similar to appreciative inquiry... coaching.... sandplay......projective techniques.....Gestalt, etc.." These comments were usually preceded by: "This (LSP) is what I have been looking for since I started my consulting practice" or "I wish I had come across this method before".

A PROCESS BASED ON SCIENCE

It was far from random that the Core Process (Question, Build, Share, Reflect) became the operating system driving all applications of the LEGO SERIOUS PLAY method. We can describe the underlying learning process in the method as LEARNING-BY-MAKING things with LEGO bricks. Several years before the development of the LSP method, LEGO Education, in connection with the development of LEGO Mindstorms, worked with a number of learning theorists to develop a learning-by-making model that was effective. The technique evolved from brain-based learning originated by Geoffrey Caine and Renate Nummela Caine, Jean Piaget’s constructivism, Seymour Papert’s constructionism and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's FLOW theory.

THE 4Cs OF EFFECTIVE LEARNING

It is one thing to know and understand the theories. It is a different challenge to convert this knowledge into practical learning processes that can be implemented broadly by both the learner and the creator of learning situations. The theories informed us that learning-by-making works when: ·      it connects to the learner's current state-of-mind ·      the learner is given the opportunity to build and construct new learning ·      the learner is forced to contemplate how this new learning can be applied ·      the learner can continue to set new goals for their own learning We called this the 4Cs of effective learning, and many techniques and interventions draw from one or more of these 4Cs.

THE BASIS FOR ANY KIND OF CHANGE

For example, one core principle of the Gestalt paradoxical theory of change is that the intervener cannot play the role of change agent. The goal of the intervener is to make the person or organization self-aware of who they are in the moment and allow them to freely choose change if the current state is less desirable. In other words, it connects to the learner’s current state of mind and allows the learner to contemplate alternative paths. What differentiates LSP from other methods is that it predictably uses all four of the 4Cs (instead of randomly applying a combination of one, two or even three) and engages the power of MAKING. In the words of the renowned learning theorist Seymour Papert: "What you learn in the process of making something that is truly yours tends to sink much deeper into the subsoil of you mind than what anyone can tell you." Wish you all a Happy Holiday Season and Best Wishes for the New Year

Sincerely,

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Rasmussen Consulting specializes in using LEGO SERIOUS PLAY to effectively harvest an organization's collective intelligence to build a better business. We are also the leading organization for training and certifying facilitators in the LEGO SERIOUS PLAY method. You can view our training schedule at www.rasmussenconsulting.dk.