Bringing toys to work: building understanding with Lego®

Abstract

Context and setting The setting comprised 2 faculty development programmes: Teaching Scholars (TS) is a university-based programme which includes participants from medicine, surgery, nursing and dentistry; the other programme consists of an educational fellowship (FMF) for family medicine doctors teaching in either university or community-based residencies in both rural and urban settings across 5 states. Why the idea was necessary‘In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice; in practice, there is (often attributed to Yogi Berra or Jan L.A. van de Snepscheut). This gap makes it difficult to engage faculty members in the study of educational theory in a manner that enhances their teaching. They find it difficult to grasp its value or its application to their activities. Strauss et al. (Evidence-based Medicine. How to practice and Teach EBM, 2005) write: ‘We’re clinical teachers and collectors of teaching methods, not educational theorists.' Our experience is that faculty learners need to see a way of making the theories real in order to translate them into better teaching. What was done Basic learning theories (behavioural, cognitive and social constructivism) were first described in an interactive presentation, focused on definitions, and historical and current applications of the theories, followed by a group discussion. At a later time, we undertook an exercise with the stated goal of creating a spaceship out of a Lego® kit designed for that purpose. Participants were divided into 3 groups. Each group was given an identical Lego® kit. Group 1 was given an intact box with explicit and detailed written and pictorial instructions. They were instructed to build the kit as quickly and accurately as they could and to keep track of how long it took. Group 2 received a colour picture of the completed ship and the same verbal instructions as group 1. Encouraging verbal prompts were given along the way. Group 3 was instructed to build a spaceship according to their own design without written or visual instructions or verbal prompts. Once all the groups had finished, they reflected within their small group on the benefits and drawbacks of their group's approach and then made comparisons in the large group. They discussed which learning theory their group's instruction resembled, which type of task it would be most appropriate for and how the method of evaluation and metric used would influence the relative benefit of each. Evaluation of results and impact In theory, we deepen our understanding of educational theory by grounding it in personal or professional contexts and experiences. Within these contexts, we are better able to translate theory into innovative and more effective educational practice. In practice, the benefit of this approach can be measured in 3 ways: by learner evaluation; by understanding derived from it, and by its impact on future teaching approaches. The learners rated evaluation highly on a qualitative basis in both settings. Learners in the FMF also gave high quantitative ratings. Learners demonstrated understanding by including theories in subsequent discussions in an appropriate manner. They also indicated the impact of the intervention by including ‘toys’ during sessions they facilitated: for example, parallels were drawn between bicycling manual principles and Glassick's concept of scholarship assessment, and a rope-tying session was used to exemplify legitimate peripheral participation.