{"id":7988,"date":"2018-05-17T15:29:07","date_gmt":"2018-05-17T15:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/cel\/?p=7988"},"modified":"2018-05-17T15:29:07","modified_gmt":"2018-05-17T15:29:07","slug":"facilitating-with-lego-using-strength-based-methods-susanne-clarke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/2018\/05\/17\/facilitating-with-lego-using-strength-based-methods-susanne-clarke\/","title":{"rendered":"Facilitating with Lego\u00a9, using strength based methods, Susanne Clarke"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lego workshop https:\/\/youtu.be\/X0cqjtrBmxI<\/p><\/div>\n

Curie Scott and\u00a0Susanne Clarke\u00a0recently ran a facilitation workshop for CEL and Service Excellence. We needed a group who were open to new ideas, brimming with curiosity and a love of trying something new.\u00a0\u00a0 In short people who make learning fun and effective.\u00a0 That is what we got, a group of wonderful people who embraced using Lego\u00a9 to support discussion around a strength based theme<\/p>\n

When we bring creative approaches such as Lego\u00a9 bricks into learning, we are building on many techniques that support the creative process through the medium of an artefact or image. Lego takes this a few steps further as it embraces the link between hand and brain.<\/p>\n

Let me explain \u2013 if we have a learning outcome, challenge or question to focus on, if asked to write a list we will tend to just come up with what we already know. If we bring in creative approaches these help to spark new ideas, we go beyond what we already know.<\/p>\n

We might also need to encourage open dialogue, so might then ask questions and wait for the group to respond, but what about those who don\u2019t speak, or might feel uncomfortable proposing something a bit different? This is where Lego\u00a9 (Serious Play), has been demonstrated to be an effective approach to introducing something \u201cin the middle\u201d, using mediated dialogue (Palus, McGuire, 2015).<\/p>\n

htt<\/a>ps:\/\/www.ccl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/mediated-dialogue-see-your-way-through-change.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Lego\u00a9 in facilitation can be adapted in many ways, and we used a 4 step model:-<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. The Challenge – Question
\n2. Build a model \u2013 Metaphor
\n3. Sharing \u2013 Give meaning \u2013 Tell your story
\n4. Questions and Reflections<\/p>\n

\u00a0As our workshop was based on strength based approaches, an Appreciative Inquiry, the question we asked was \u201cIn a good day at work, what is happening\u201d?\u00a0<\/strong> This led to really interesting conversations, with some common themes, including the joy that seeing others achieve brings us and a sense of achievement in helping others.\u00a0 An interesting theme around \u2018Order versus Messy\u2019 emerged, how we often struggle for order and if instead we should just embrace messy.\u00a0\u00a0 This reminded me that in my messy kindle library, I had some time ago ordered Tim Harford\u2019s book \u2013 Messy: How to be Creative and Resilient in a Tidy-Minded World<\/em>.\u00a0 I may now find time to read it and learn to embrace messy.<\/p>\n

Take a look at this short film to see what Curie Scott and Dr Victoria Baines had to say about their experience in the workshop<\/p>\n