"Lego Figurines" by eak_kkk. Licensed under Pixabay License. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/photos/lego-figurines-toys-crowd-many-1044891/
One sunny day in 2018,
I made the decision to create a LEGO wall in my school library. I knew it would be a contentious decision at the time - it would involve asking for help from overworked colleagues and requesting funding for equipment from an overstretched budget. Yet, I was feeling determined and brave. I had spent the last 6 months researching ways to gently introduce a makerspace and the maker movement to our rather traditional secondary school library. Makerspaces represent everything I love about schools and learning - they inspire users to challenge themselves, to go outside their comfort zones, to follow their curiosities, to move from passive consumers to designers, tinkerers, experimenters, hackers, problem-solvers, creators and producers. See John Spencer's take on why all classrooms should be makerspaces here. A LEGO wall seemed perfect for our initiation into the world of making. I mean, who doesn't love LEGO, right? It seemed relatively easy to set-up, simple to introduce to students, and not very complicated to ensure success.. Or so it seemed to me. As soon as I set out to find willing and able collaborators, I was confronted by colleagues who did not agree with the LEGO wall and expressed diverse reasons for their opinions. Some said it was a waste of resources, others said it would turn the library into a noisy space which would distract other students from studying. But the common thread I noticed in their arguments was a lack of understanding about makerspaces and the evolving role of libraries in general. What each of the opponents of the LEGO wall had in common was the belief that libraries are spaces for silence and storage of books. Whereas libraries for me, and for proponents of library makerspaces and the maker movement, are spaces of inspiration and empowerment. Places which aim to continuously evolve to the changing learning needs of their community. So I made the wall.And it was a roaring success. Well, roaring in terms of popularity rather than the sound apex predators make when protecting their territory. The LEGO wall has been loved by students and visiting parents from the moment the glue dried. Students use it casually at break times, or intensely during the regular LEGO challenges I promote throughout the year. The LEGO wall has become a unique and fun addition to the library which eased my school community into embracing a library which doesn't merely store books. I will share the method I used to create the LEGO wall below. I have shared this method with a fellow teacher-librarian in my area, who has since created her own and who has experienced similar success with the final product. Feel free to use, adapt and distribute this information as you wish. - BJK
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