Professional Development Reflection

 

Professional Development Reflection

Name of Event: Building a Classroom Culture to Support Student Creativity and Innovation:  ​​https://home.edweb.net/webinar/learning20210921/

 

Description of the event

     The webinar Building a classroom culture to support student creativity and innovation was presented by Dr Leanna Prater, an experienced educator and innovation advocate, and hosted by LEGO Education, where Dr Prater works in the role of Adoption Lead for LEGO Education. This professional learning opportunity explored ways teachers can create classroom environments that value creativity as much as academic achievement. The target audience included K-8 educators, but could be applied to older grades, instructional leaders and curriculum developers who are looking to embed creativity into everyday teaching.

 

Dr Prater shared practical strategies for designed learning experiences that move away from direct instruction and towards open-ended exploration, problem-solving, and student agency. A key focus was on using hands-on, playful learning approaches, specifically, Lego Education kits, to inspire curiosity, foster collaboration, and normalize the process of trial and error. The presentation combined classroom examples, research insights, and a philosophy that celebrates innovation as a skill that must be intentionally nurtured.

 

Why I selected this webinar

     My decision to participate in this professional development opportunity was motivated by both my professional interest and personal teaching philosophy. Over the past year, I have grown increasingly interested in incorporating LEGO-based learning into my teaching. During my practicums, I observed other teachers in the school integrating LEGO into science, math, and literacy lessons in ways that encouraged students’ engagement and deeper learning. What stood out to me was how students who were typically reluctant to participate became enthusiastic contributors when the lesson involved building, designing, or experimenting with LEGO.

     This directly connects to a challenge I often encounter in my practice, supporting students who are perfectionists or fearful of “getting it wrong”. Last year, I had several students who avoided creative work because they preferred step-by-step instructions and clear “right answers”.  They hesitated to take risks, and as a result, missed opportunities to learning through discovery. I was drawn to Dr. Prater’s session because I believe LEGO can be a powerful tool to help students shift their mindset from fearing mistakes in their learning to seeing them as a natural part of the learning process. I want my students to become lifelong learners who enjoy the learning process, and I hope that including LEGO in their learning will help them achieve this goal. From this webinar, I explored more about LEGO play and education and learn that “87% of participants stated that experimenting with LEGO bricks and building sets helps them feel more confident in their creative skills. The survey also showed that LEGO play helps kids overcome fear of making mistakes and value progress more than perfection.”(The LEGO Group). I hope that by incorporating LEGO into my learning, students who fear not being perfect will learn that creating is about process and become more confident.

 

Personal Reaction to the event

     Going into this event, I was excited to learn, as I am a lifelong learner and enjoy learning. I am always looking to learn new ideas to make my classroom a better place. The webinar was not only informative but also affirming. Dr. Prater’s message reinforced my belief that creativity is not a beyond skill to address “if there’s time,” but rather an essential component of student development. I appreciated her acknowledgement that fostering creativity requires more than simply including fun activities in the daily schedule. It demands a cultural shift in the classroom, one where exploration is valued, mistakes are reframed as learning opportunities, and students are empowered to take ownership of their ideas and put them towards their learning.

 

One of my biggest takeaways was her emphasis on the iterative process. She modelled how educators can encourage students to plan, test, evaluate, and revise their work multiple times, rather than expecting a perfect result on the first try. This also connects with open-ended learning, where there is no single correct answer, and students are encouraged to explore multiple approaches, which is something that is touched on in this webinar. This concept resonated with me because I have seen students discouraged after a single setback. No idea is ever perfect; they are evolving and always need edits. Integrating structured opportunities for iteration could help normalize persistence and resilience, which I want all my students to have.

 

Connection to Professional Practice

     From a professional standpoint, this learning experience directly aligns with my teaching goals. In my classroom, I aim to move beyond compliance-based learning and towards an environment where curiosity drives engagement. Dr. Prater’s strategies for using LEGO kits as open-ended learning tools offer a clear, tangible way to achieve this.

 

For example, she shared how easy it can be to use LEGO with creativity by giving blocks and asking them to create a particular animal. In the recording, she used a duck for the students to build, and all students created a duck using the provided blocks. It made me think how easily I can do this, along with making the task more difficult. 

Additionally, the webinar reinforced the importance of the teacher’s role as a facilitator rather than a sole source of knowledge. Instead of stepping in to correct or redirect too quickly, the teacher provides guiding questions, prompts and encouragement to help students think critically and problem-solve independently.

Two Artifacts Demonstrating Impact

Lesson Plan

 Creating an animal using LEGO blocks made me think about how I could challenge my class to design and build a bridge that could hold a certain weight using only LEGO bricks. The task is deliberately broad, allowing for multiple solutions and encouraging collaboration, which my students enjoy doing. I would easily adapt this to my curriculum by connecting it to Ontario Science expectations related to structures and mechanisms, which is one of my favourite units to teach. This unit allows students to be creative and create their structures, and by creating a challenge with LEGO, this is the perfect task for my students.

LEGO Club

This learning session inspired me to create a LEGO club for students at my school, once a week during lunch hour, so all students have the opportunity to develop and explore with LEGO. Each week, the club would feature a new design challenge to spark students' imagination, such as creating a vehicle that moves or designing a structure with a limited piece. This allows students to use their lunch break to design and be creative. The club provides a safe and collaborative environment for students of all grades to experiment and share their ideas. The website “Bricks 4 Kidz” provides lots of great ideas that I could use each week for this club at my school.

Recommendations for Others

     I recommend this professional development opportunity to any educator who is looking to embed creativity into daily practice, particularly those working with students who are hesitant to take risks or think outside the box. The strategies shared by Dr.Prater are adaptable for all grade levels and subject areas, making them valuable for a broad audience. School administrators and teacher candidates could benefit from this session, as the ideas can be implemented school-wide to cultivate culture and innovation.

 Final Reflection

     Completing this webinar has reinforced my belief that creativity must be intentionally nurtured and embedded into the daily life of the classroom. It reminded me that my role is not only to teach content but also to create an environment where students feel safe to imagine, explore, and innovate. By incorporating LECO-based learning and the strategies shared by Dr.Prater, I feel better equipped to support all learning, especially those who fear making mistakes, in developing the confidence and skills they need to thrive both inside and outside the classroom.

Reference:

 

Bricks 4 Kidz. (n.d.). Educational LEGO® after school programs. Bricks 4 Kidz. Retrieved August 20, 2025, from https://www.bricks4kidz.com/program-events/after-school-programs/

 

The LEGO Group. (n.d.). The challenge of perfection: Creative confidence. LEGO. Retrieved August 20, 2025, from https://www.lego.com/en-us/play-unstoppable/creative-confidence

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