LEGO® Spike Prime Certification

LEGO® Spike Prime Professional Development

LEGO® Education offers a variety of different resources for teachers, one of them being professional development opportunities. Their professional development is a personalized learning program that helps teachers learn and practice various techniques that support playful, hands-on STEM learning and has a maximum impact on student outcomes.

I have completed the LEGO® Education professional development modules for Spike Prime. Spike Prime is an introductory level robotics kit that is aimed for students grades 6 through 8. It combines LEGO® building elements and user-friendly hardware. When paired with the LEGO® Education SPIKE app, students can learn basic level drag and drop coding based on Scratch. It offers engaging and playful learning activities and opportunities for students to tackle complex problems, regardless of their learning level. Below are my module certifications for the LEGO® Education Spike Prime Professional Development:

STEAM Concepts

During the STEAM Concepts portion of the professional development, I learned a lot about coding and how to let students explore and learn on their own. Some of my key learning outcomes included; allowing students to explore with code on their own and then work towards modifying existing code. Encouraging students to use a systematic approach when adjusting code. Making the classroom a place where students can act like scientists, emphasize curiosity. Help students collect and analyze data and support their experimental design and practice. Connecting activities to scientific concepts as well as real world concepts. And encouraging students to learn from failure, make sure they understand that it is an inevitable part of the design process.

Twenty-First Century Skills

Throughout the twenty-first century skills portion of the professional development, I learned about the importance of collaboration and implementing critical thinking skills in to every day learning. Here are some of my key learning outcomes: Encourage collaboration and active listening in the classroom- try and get students to answer each others questions instead of always asking the teacher. Teachers should admit when they don't know the answer to a question and help the students find the answer. Glows and Grows when sharing ideas- glows are strengths, grows are actionable suggestions. Creative and critical thinking skills are important things to implement. Establish supportive classroom environments that promote trying new things and is free of judgment. Teachers should: present open-ended challenges, inspire creativity, encourage unique approaches, and establish a supportive environment. Students learn through play and the ability to explore.

Pedagogy

During the Pedagogy section of the professional development, I learned about encouraging students and giving them constructive feedback. Some of my key learning outcomes include; Encourage students to give feedback to each other in a specific and respectful way. Teachers can help students to do this by setting ground rules and providing sentence stems. Use body language to facilitate feedback. Be able to read students' body language when they are frustrated and remind them that it is okay to struggle. Implement formative assessments to see where students are- this could include things like polls. Create a classroom culture that supports student learning- teachers should not touch their students LEGO®'s because then they become the builder and not the student. Feedback should be individual and specific- have students identify their own strengths and weaknesses. Ask questions that encourage metacognition. Repetition and iteration will help students internalize concepts.

Classroom Management

Throughout the Classroom Management portion of the professional development, I learned about differentiation and flexibility allowing students to be challenged while also providing them with the opportunity to find success. Some of my key learning outcomes include; frame lessons with a learning purpose so that students understand the meaning and relevance of their work. Establish clear expectations and outcomes. Differentiate lessons so they are accessible to all students in the classroom. Incorporate flexibility and choice into lessons. Lessons should be not only accessible but also challenging. Provide extra support for students that need it. See your class on multiple levels. When students are working together, facilitate effective and appropriate communication