Teachers and Play are Keys to Quality Learning

BILLUND, Denmark, April 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

If teachers receive greater recognition and more tools to work with when they teach, children's learning worldwide will improve. This was one of many conclusions at the 2016 LEGO Idea Conference, where this year's LEGO Prize winner argued against testing of children. The conclusions of the conference will be injected into the global education debate and the UN General Assembly.  

Being a teacher should have the same status as being a doctor or a lawyer. Teachers should also have more tools in their toolbox in order to give their students the best learning possible. This is also a way for teaching to become more interesting and attractive for young people, which ultimately would result in better learning experiences for millions of children worldwide.

This was one of several conclusions at the recent LEGO Idea Conference, where 300 academics, practitioners, policy makers and representatives from international organizations discussed what quality learning is and how to implement quality learning at scale.

One of the most prominent experts at the conference, Finnish Pasi Sahlberg, won the 2016 LEGO Prize for his work to improve the quality of children's education globally. Pasi Sahlberg believes that testing alone is the wrong way to quality education. Instead, school systems should build on children's natural curiosity and collaboration.

"Today, curiosity, creativity and ultimately genuine learning are at risk. Schools around the world have become places of standardized routines that aim at predetermined attainment targets in the name of improving competitiveness. Our children are therefore subjects of frequent assessments and tests that measure and divide them based solely on how they perform on these external expectations," says Pasi Sahlberg.

The LEGO Foundation shares Pasi Sahlberg's view and believes that children's learning must be stimulated through play.

"The gap between the skills that children learn in school and the skills they need to function well in current and future society is constantly growing. It is essential that we equip our children with a universal skills set that enables them to become lifelong learners. This demands a focus on skills like problem solving, creativity and cooperation," says Hanne Rasmussen, CEO, LEGO Foundation.

The LEGO Foundation will now prepare a report based on the conclusions from this year's conference. The report will inject the viewpoints of the conference into the global education debate and major platforms such as the UN General Assembly.