LEGO® Braille Bricks Week Webinars

*Update*: These events are over but you can find the information from the lessons over on our learning platform the APH Hive. It’s free to sign up and you can get ACVREP credits for the courses. 

You’re invited to join us for LEGO® Braille Bricks week starting August 17th! We’re bringing together great minds from the LEGO Foundation, braille professionals, and a TVI to host a series of webinars all about learning through play with the new LEGO Braille Bricks from the LEGO Foundation, available through APH. Check out all the cool sessions available and register today!

Monday

What We Mean by Learning Through Play

Date and Time: August 17, 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET 

Description: The aim of The LEGO Foundation is to re-define play and re-imagine learning – but what does this mean exactly? What is Learning through Play, and why is play so special? What holistic skills do children develop when they play? This hands-on workshop will allow participants to reflect upon and discuss “what is play”? Through hands-on activities, participants will play and have fun whilst learning about the LEGO Foundation’s Learning through Play approach, the five characteristics for playful experiences, as well as the holistic skills for lifelong learning, which are developed through play. 

 Instructor:  Mette Hauch, Play Facilitation Specialist at LEGO Foundation

Primary Core or ECC Area:  Literacy, English Language Arts, Compensatory Skills, Social Skills

 Target Audience:   School leadership, Teachers and Teaching Assistants

Pre-requisite Knowledge: None

Lesson Plan Goal: Gain better insight and understanding of the benefits of Learning through Play  

Learning Objectives: Recognize the holistic skills that children develop when they play and how those skills are critical to learning; Identify the 5 characteristics of playful learning: Joyful, Actively engaging, Meaningful, Iterative, and Socially interactive; Re-imagine learning that integrates a child’s physical, social, emotional, cognitive and creative skills

Materials Needed:  DUPLO or LEGO Bricks preferred, otherwise materials commonly found in your office or home. 

COLLECT CEUs: Collect CEUs: CEUs are only available for the live presentation at this time. To collect CEUs, please listen for the opening and closing codes during the live session and send these, along with your first and last name, to outreach@aph.org and a certificate will be emailed to you the following week. 

Tuesday

Play Facilitation in Theory and Practice

Date & Time: August 18, 2:00 – 3:30 PM ET 

Description: In this course, we will investigate how to best facilitate using learning through play principles. In a mix of workshop and lecture, you will be introduced to the core Learning through Play pedagogical framework that The LEGO Foundation has developed together with leading experts within Learning through Play pedagogy.

Instructor:  Per Havgaard, Sr. Facilitation Specialist at LEGO foundation

Primary core or ECC Area:  Literacy, English Language Arts, Compensatory Skills, Social Skills

Target Audience:  Educators, Head Teachers and Parents

Pre-requisite knowledge: None

Learning objectives: Learn how to facilitate Learning through Play; Understand the core components of lessons designed for Learning Through Play; Practice methods for integrating LEGO’s play concepts into everyday lessons.

 Materials needed:  10-15 LEGO Bricks (DUPLO or System) – some cereal box cardboard and a scissor.

Collect CEUS: CEUs are only available for the live presentation at this time. To collect CEUs, please listen for the opening and closing codes during the live session and send these, along with your first and last name, to outreach@aph.org and a certificate will be emailed to you the following week.

Wednesday

LEGO Braille Bricks Play-based Teaching Method

Date & Time: August 19, 2:00 – 3:30 PM ET

Description: In this webinar, you will be introduced to LEGO Braille Bricks. The presenters will share activities and information from the accompanying website and discuss the alignment of learning skills with playful activities. Last, participants will learn how to submit their own activities to share with other teachers around the world.

Instructors:  Marc Angelier and Marie Oddoux, Braille consultants at M&M Braille Consulting (working on the LEGO Braille Bricks project for the LEGO Foundation)

Primary Core or ECC Area:  Literacy, English Language Arts, Compensatory Skills, Social Skills

Target Audience:  School administration, Teachers, Paraprofessionals 

Pre-requisite Knowledge: Understanding of the braille code, have knowledge of LEGO Learning through Play concept

Lesson Plan Goal:   Provide participants with specific information on LEGO Braille Bricks pedagogical concept 

Learning Objectives: The participant will learn about LEGO Braille Bricks website; The participant will learn about academic and VI skills worked with Braille Bricks; The participant will review the 6 main activity categories; The participant will learn how to use and adapt the LEGO Braille Bricks activities; The participant will discover useful tips and tricks

Material Needed:   No material is needed

Collect CEUs: CEUs are only available for the live presentation at this time. To collect CEUs, please listen for the opening and closing codes during the live session and send these, along with your first and last name, to outreach@aph.org and a certificate will be emailed to you the following week.

Thursday

Learning with LEGO Braille Bricks- The Building Blocks of Braille Literacy 

Date & Time:  August 20th, 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET 

Description:  The LEGO Braille Bricks are a play-based braille learning manipulative.  This two-day hands-on webinar will facilitate active engagement in LEGO Braille Brick learning activities that are based in the 5 characteristics of playful experiences.  It will also foster participants’ skills in creating new play based LEGO Braille Brick activities to meet the needs of their students.

We will focus on showing participants how the bricks can help meet their students’ learning needs and on introducing and creating educational activities that represent the play characteristics of “meaningful” and “socially interactive”.

Instructor:  Paige Maynard, Teacher of the Visually Impaired/Early Interventionist at VIPS (Visually Impaired Preschool Services)

Primary core or ECC Area:  Literacy, English Language Arts, Compensatory Skills, Social Skills

Target Audience:  teachers of the visually impaired and other professionals responsible for braille and tactile skills instruction

Pre-requisite knowledge:   Knowledge of the 5 characteristics of playful experiences (socially interactive, iterative, meaningful, joyful, actively engaging); Basic knowledge of the braille code; Basic knowledge of tactile skills

Lesson Plan Goal: Facilitate participants’ engagement with LEGO Braille Brick learning activities that are based in the 5 characteristics of playful experiences and foster participants’ skills in creating new LEGO Braille Brick play-based activities that meet the needs of their students.  

Learning objectives: The participant will gain knowledge regarding how the LEGO Braille Bricks can meet students’ tactile learning needs; The participant will engage in play-based learning activities with the LEGO Braille Bricks that can be used with their student(s); The participant will pair their knowledge of braille and tactile skills with their knowledge of playful experiences to create play-based activities that utilize the LEGO Braille Bricks.

Materials needed: LEGO braille bricks. If participants do not yet have access to the LEGO braille bricks, they can utilize one of the following:

• • 8-10 2×8 LEGO bricks and a baseplate  
  • Paper LEGO Braille Bricks manipulatives  

Collect CEUs: CEUs are only available for the live presentation at this time. To collect CEUs, please listen for the opening and closing codes during the live session and send these, along with your first and last name, to outreach@aph.org and a certificate will be emailed to you the following week.

Friday

Hands-On, Minds-On, Fun-On:  Play-Based Activities with the LEGO Braille Bricks    

Date & Time:  August 21st, 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET

Description:  The LEGO Braille Bricks are a play-based braille learning manipulative.  This hands-on webinar will facilitate active engagement in LEGO Braille Brick learning activities that are based in the 5 characteristics of playful experiences.  It will also foster participants’ skills in creating new play based LEGO Braille Brick activities to meet the needs of their students.  

We will focus on showing participants how the bricks can help meet their students’ learning needs and on introducing and creating educational activities that represent the play characteristics of “joy”, “iteration”, and “active engagement”.  

Instructor:  Paige Maynard, teacher of the visually impaired/early interventionist at VIPS (Visually Impaired Preschool Services)

Primary Core or ECC Area:  Literacy, English Language Arts, Compensatory Skills, Social Skills 

Target Audience:   teachers of the visually impaired and other professionals responsible for braille and tactile skills instruction 

Pre-requisite Knowledge:  Knowledge of the 5 characteristics of playful experiences (socially interactive, iterative, meaningful, joyful, actively engaging); Basic knowledge of the braille code; Basic knowledge of tactile skills 

Lesson Plan Goal:  Facilitate participants’ engagement with LEGO Braille Brick learning activities that are based in the 5 characteristics of playful experiences and foster participants’ skills in creating new LEGO Braille Brick play-based activities that meet the needs of their students.  

Learning Objectives: The participant will gain knowledge regarding how the LEGO Braille Bricks can meet students’ tactile learning needs; The participant will engage in play-based learning activities with the LEGO Braille Bricks that can be used with their student(s); The participant will pair their knowledge of braille and tactile skills with their knowledge of playful experiences to create play-based activities that utilize the LEGO Braille Bricks. 

Materials Needed:  LEGO braille bricks;  If participants do not yet have access to the LEGO braille bricks, they can utilize one of the following:  

• • 8-10 2×8 LEGO bricks and a baseplate
  • Paper LEGO Braille Bricks manipulatives 

Collect CEUs: CEUs are only available for the live presentation at this time. To collect CEUs, please listen for the opening and closing codes during the live session and send these, along with your first and last name, to outreach@aph.org and a certificate will be emailed to you the following week.