The programme is designed to support oral language and social skills. Some students are chosen as role models to encourage oral language with their peers, while others are chosen to support their social and oral language skills.
Currently we have two junior groups and a senior Bricks Club running, facilitated by Teacher Aide Cindy Clunie. Our Learning Support Coordinator Tina Dobson has also completed the training and is facilitating a Bricks Club at the Year 2 level.
The programme is very structured with students taking on different roles to ‘build’ a lego creation over the sessions. Students all get to have turns at different roles.
The Engineer looks at the instructions and tells the rest of the group which brick they should be using and where the brick should go. The ‘supplier’ listens carefully to the engineer’s instructions, finds the relevant brick and gives it to the ‘builder.’ The ‘builder’ puts the brick into the correct place. This process encourages students to take turns, work together, and show patience and resilience. There is a big emphasis on using polite words and supporting each other to complete the ‘build.’
The programme is great for encouraging social interactions and oral language.
I have noticed the students gaining confidence as the sessions have progressed
Bricks Club has its own language that students quickly start to use as part of their instructions. Things like brick, plate, stud, tile and tube quickly become everyday terms for the students. Positional Language is also an important part of the programme. Phrases like, in front of, between, on top of, behind, to the right of, encourage students to be very specific with their oral language and instructions so that the build is successful. Everyone is part of a team. The motivation to complete a build is high, so students soon learn social skills, and to be specific, to gain what they need.
Being the engineer is fun because I get to read the book first and tell the supplier where to put the bits.
Being the builder is best because you get to put the bits together.
All of it is fun. I like all the jobs.
Once a week students have a ‘free build’ opportunity. Called “Freestyling It”, students have access to a range of lego pieces. The facilitator lays down a challenge. For example, build the tallest tower, build a skyscraper, a marble maze or a cube. Students are encouraged to provide their own ideas for the Freestyle build as well.
Keywords
bricks club, oral language, social skills.
Education has no beginning and no end. It ebbs and flows and is ever-changing. As an educator, it is my responsibility to instill a love of learning and an ability to adapt to an ever-changing world.
My teaching journey started at 40 when I retrained as a teacher after a career in journalism and many years as a stay-at-home mother. When we guide our students to be lifelong learners, we send them towards their next journey well-prepared for whatever life brings.
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