Presentation of Learning: Create a Circuit with a Growth Mindset

Jack Mather, an eight-year-old iLEAD Exploration learner, displays a growth mindset when learning new things.  Upon receiving a new LEGO set, he was delighted to discover that it came with a light up brick.  Clearly, this was a new and exciting addition to his ever-growing LEGO collection and he wondered why only certain bricks had this magical light up capability.  Trying to explain electricity to a child is a lot more difficult than showing them firsthand how it can work. So, Jack and his parents set out to create a powered circuit out of common household objects.

After watching a few videos about electricity, such as “The Power of Circuits” by SciShow Kids on Youtube, Jack set out on a scavenger hunt of sorts for the materials needed to complete the build.  A kitchen drawer revealed tin foil and tape. A trip to dad’s toolbox unearthed a flashlight that, once deconstructed, offered up an LED light bulb and a battery pack.After all the necessary supplies had been gathered and laid out, Jack began to assemble his circuit.  He quickly learned how to identify positive and negative connections and the importance of each side of the battery.  It took a few tries to attach the foil to the other elements in a way that would hold it all together. He discovered that it wasn’t as simple as pressing the button on the back of the LEGO brick.  A lot of science was housed in that tiny building block, but Jack did not let the setbacks stop him from constructing his own powered circuit. He knew if he kept working hard that he would eventually reach his goal.

He found that slowing down and re-reading the directions led to him understanding where he was making a mistake in the assembly. Upon correcting that, he achieved the desired outcome.   Jack delighted in the finished product and touched the foil to the lightbulb multiple times. He was amazed that he had found a way to demonstrate electricity with his own two hands.

Taking this curiosity a step further, Jack and his parents decided to deconstruct the light up LEGO brick.  Inside, they discovered similar elements (a lightbulb, a battery, and two pieces of metal) to the circuit Jack had just completed building.  Thanks to the knowledge gained from the hands-on experiment, Jack was able to understand more fully how the light up brick worked.  Jack displayed a growth mindset throughout the project by not giving up despite some of the challenges he faced. He knew that if he continued to do his best and try new strategies, he would be able to meet his goal.

Jack concluded by saying, “It was fun seeing electricity come from something I made!  I didn’t know electricity was really something I could make at home!”

Resources:

Lego light up brick (available in a variety of LEGO sets)

https://raisinglifelonglearners.com/make-a-simple-circuit-2/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOFp8bHTN30