Using Legos to Teach Social Justice

Summary of Why We banned Legos from Rethinking Schools text

This chapter followed teachers in an affluent (mostly white ) community from an after school program (4th-6th grade). These teachers found that when they observed students playing with Legos a troubling dynamic occurred.

As children began building "Legotown", the builders began excluding other children. Negotiations began to occur about what would be built, whether it would be privately or collectively owned, and how "cool pieces" would be distributed. There was a clear assumptions of "swnership and the social power it conveys... which mirrored a class-based  capitalist society." 

Teachers were concerned about the rising conflicts and the messages the children were constructing within their play. When "Legotown" was destroyed one weekend by another group of children using the space , the after school teachers decided to close down legos and open a discussion on the problems that the seen. They engaged the children in exploration and reflection to discuss the issues of power and inequity.

"Giving" legos brought up feelings of "power and wealth" What would be a "fair distribution of resources?"  What does fair mean?  What does "power" look like ? Teachers used conversations and games over the course of several months to explore these big concepts and allow the kids to make discoveries instead of lecturing to them. Kids actually felt "hopelessness" with the lack of power.

The teachers then led an exploration of rules and how they are made and enforced . Then they talked about "ownership", again through play and exploration.

Some observations included:

• If I buy it I own it.
• If I receive a gift I own it 
• If I make it myself, I own it
• If it has my name on it I own it.
• If I own it I make the rules about it

After 5 months of exploration and teaching , the teachers brought the Legos back.They offered some guidelines for creating a new space " Pike Place Market". They (children and teachers together)developed a set of key principles :

• Collectivity is a good thing
• Shared power is a valued goal
• We should strive for moderation and equal access to resources.

Finally common rules were developed:

• All structures are public structures
• Lego people can only be saved by a "team" of kids not an individual
• All structures will be standard sizes (nothing dramatically larger than everyone else
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I found this chapter  really interesting because Legos are a hugely popular choice in my kindergarten classroom. Conflicts arise and social emotional skills are developed. I never envisioned topics as weighty as power and social justice but this was excellent food for thought.