Idea: Make teaching material transparent with Lego
Daniel Ponsen, also known as the Lego Master, uses Lego minifigures and bricks in his history and math lessons. Not so much for fun, but because it works.
Image: Angeliek de Jonge
A man of 2,09 meters who likes to work with LEGO minifigures and building blocks in his lessons. This apparent contradiction refers to Daniël Ponsen (37), a group 8 teacher at the Peppelaer primary school in Haarlem. As a child, Ponsen played a lot with Lego and rediscovered the toys during a PABO internship. “
I had to teach a history lesson in a group 8, about the Romans, and I decided to hang the lesson on a Roman legionary from my lego collection. ” That turned out to be a bull's eye. Punching immediately caught the students' attention. “All children know the building blocks of Lego, but not everyone knows the minifigures. What they especially liked was the tangibility. You don't have that with an image on the IWB. That enthusiasm among students gave me the idea to do more with it. ”
Graduation assignment
Ponsen didn't waste any time and then devoted his graduation assignment to Lego - and especially to building blocks. “In the lower years, concrete materials are often used for geometry and arithmetic, but in the upper years this disappears at most schools. And that while you can make things very insightful by having students build figures with Lego. Think of things like transforming, constructing and floor plans.”
Ponsen's research led to surprising results. By using Lego as an intervention tool, there was an average percentage increase of 35 percent in the correct answer to questions by students with regard to the baseline measurement. Ponsen: "A significant difference, I was actually quite surprised about that myself."
It sometimes seems as if this is a hobby that has gotten out of hand, while it is a tool to get the best out of my students
As a group 8 teacher, Ponsen uses Legos in various subjects. He himself has a soft spot for the minifigures - officially Lego collectible mini figures - which he uses in his history lessons. In recent years he has put together a timeline of 72 historical minifigures that cover almost all eras (and which, at 2,5 meters tall, just fits in one of the windowsills of his classroom). For example, the timeline contains figures such as Cleopatra and Columbus, but also Joan of Arc and Elvis Presley.
With each minifigure, Punching has a fascinating story that he then tells in class and that students can read again on his website, which also includes images and links to YouTube videos. “For history I just use a teaching method in which the figures from my timeline regularly appear. Subsequently, the students often consult my website for additional information. Recently, for example, we talked about space and then Nicolaas Copernicus, Isaac Newton, Neil Armstrong, Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein come up. Just before that it was about the Second World War and therefore also about Adolf Hitler and Anne Frank. ”
Timeline
In addition to history lessons, Ponsen also uses the timeline when he has XNUMX minutes to spare. “Then students often ask 'Master, can we do something from the timeline'. You can see that it works. They are stimulated by it and that's what it's all about. If you ask people 'What was your favorite teacher at school', most of them will say 'The teacher who could tell beautiful stories'. For me it is not about becoming number one in this, but I really want to bring out that fascination in students. ”
The 72 minifigures are almost all composed of different parts that Punches has tracked down and ordered via platforms and websites. "I want the dolls to really resemble the historical people, so I'm not easily satisfied."
He pays for everything out of his own pocket. By selling a quartet game and bookmarks via his website, he earns something back, although it is often no more than the costs for the website. But he doesn't mind at all. Has Lego already registered as a sponsor? "No, but they can absolutely do that, because I would like to share my knowledge about Lego and education and possibly work together."
Lego Master
Ponsen receives a lot of responses from fellow teachers who want to work with Lego through its website. Now known as a lego master, he was interviewed by various media. “I am really proud of and grateful for that. Although it sometimes seems in the media that this is a hobby that got out of hand, when in fact it is an instrument to get the best out of my students. ”
Finally, the Lego master has a tip for colleagues who also want to work with Lego. "Only do it if you really have a thing for Lego, because if you have to feign passion for this, students will quickly see through it."
Would you like more information? View on historyinminifiguren.nl
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