LEGO®Serious Play (LSP) for Higher Education
Johns Hopkins L.A.D. Academy Learning Unit
Start
Foundations of LSP—From Bricks to Meaning
LEGO Serious Play® (LSP) is a facilitated thinking, communication, and problem-solving technique that helps people explore ideas and express themselves through building metaphors with LEGO bricks.
Click for next page
LSP Theoretical Roots
From Piaget to Papert to Csikszentmihalyi
Jean Piaget
Seymour Papert
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Constructivism – Knowledge is actively built, not transmitted
Constructionism – Learning happens best when learners create something shareable.
Flow – Deep engagement through challenge and skill balance.
LSP Core Principles
Hands-on = Minds-on
Metaphor
Storytelling
Equal Voice
The LSP Facilitation Process
Every LSP session follows a rhythm. We begin with a challenge question, move into silent building, then share our models and stories, and finally reflect together. This cycle keeps everyone engaged and helps surface both individual and collective meaning
The LSP Facilitation Process
Click for more information
Build
Challenge
Reflect
Share
The Facilitator’s Role—
Guide, Don't Direct
Crafting Effective Challenges—
Use the Power of the Question
Tips:
- Use verbs like build, show, create, represent.
- Keep questions metaphorical yet focused.
- Link to learning goals.
Learning Curve
Active Learning
Gamification
Examples:
- Warm-up: “Build something that represents your morning routine.”
- Content-focused: “Build your ideal research collaboration.”
- Strategic: “Build the system that supports innovation in your department.”
Facilitation Micro-Skills—
Techniques That Keep the Flow
Encourage silence
Use neutral prompts
Give time limits
2–4 minutes for builds
Silence during building keeps focus and reduces comparison
Example “Tell us about your model.”
Reflect back, not interpret
Manage group energy with pacing and tone
Listens carefully, prompting reflection without judgment or interpretation.
Uses clear time limits and reminders to keep the group’s focus, creativity, and momentum high
Psychological Safety & Equal Voice—
Creating Space for Every Builder
Main ideas
Everyone builds; everyone shares
Models speak louder than status.
Debrief on insights, not individuals.
Encourage respect for each story.
Debriefing & Meaning-Making—
From Story to Insight
• Ask, “What themes do you notice across models?” • Summarize shared metaphors or values. • Encourage participants to connect insights to practice. • Document with photos or notes for reflection.
Applications in Teaching & Learning
Building Knowledge, Reflection, and Connection Through Play
LSP as Active Learning
“Build a quick model of how you define active learning—then describe what makes it active.”
Learners externalize their thinking through building
LSP transforms passive learning into hands-on inquiry
Reflection after building deepens conceptual understanding
Tangible models make abstract ideas visible and discussable
Fostering Critical Thinking, Identity, and Empathy
Models help visualize systems and relationships, encouraging analysis and synthesis
Critical Thinking
Identity
Empathy
Learners construct metaphors of self, values, or roles, deepening self-awareness
Sharing and interpreting others’ models builds perspective-taking and emotional understanding
“Build a model that shows who you are as a learner or educator — what values, strengths, or challenges shape the way you approach your work?”
“Build a model that represents how the different parts of your learning or work system connect — where are the strengths, and where are the tensions?”
“Build a model that represents how someone else in your team, classroom, or community might experience this challenge — what does their perspective look like?”
Case Examples Across Disciplines
Medical Education
STEM Education
Literacy Education
Across disciplines, educators can adapt LSP to meet diverse learning goals—whether enhancing teamwork dynamics, fostering empathy, or deepening reflection, both literally and figuratively
Case Example: Understanding Empathy in Patient Care
Reflect
Share
Build
Challenge
Case Example: Visualizing Design Trade-Offs and System Optimization
Reflect
Share
Build
Challenge
Case Example: Exploring Themes of Power and Resistance in a Novel
Reflect
Share
Build
Challenge
Strategic Facilitation
->
LSP can be used to spark innovation, facilitate research collaboration, and map out strategic systems
LSP in Design Thinking
Emphsize
In design thinking, the process moves between understanding and creating. LEGO Serious Play gives form to that cycle, allowing teams to experiment with ideas before they’re written or coded.
Test
Define
Prototype
Ideate
Systems Mapping Through LSP
How to Use LSP in System Mapping
When teams model systems together, patterns emerge that no single person could see alone. LSP acts as a living systems map, helping participants identify where influence and opportunity lie.
- Systems are often abstract and hidden — LSP helps externalize them.
- Models represent interconnections: people, processes, and feedback loops.
- Group builds create shared systems maps showing relationships and tensions.
- Reveals leverage points for change.
LSP for Team Building
Steps of Using LSP in Team Building
Strategy becomes tangible when teams can literally see the gap between where they are and where they want to be. The models act as blueprints for future planning discussions.
Use LSP to visualize organizational or lab goals.
Build the “current state” and the “ideal future state.”
Identify obstacles and bridges between the two.
Translate the model into an actionable strategic roadmap.
LSP for Research Facilitation & Co-Creation
- Encourages all voices — including junior researchers and external partners.
- Makes interdisciplinary collaboration more inclusive.
- Supports qualitative data gathering through narratives and metaphors.
- Captures complex concepts in visual form for reports or publications.
“Build a model that shows how your research contributes to societal impact.”
“Create a structure representing how your team shares data and ideas.”
LSP Assessment— From Building to Becoming
The LSP Assessment section helps you capture what your learners have learned — not just what they built, but how they have grown as a learner, facilitator, designer, and reflective practitioner. Assessment in LSP focuses as much on process as on product
LSP Assessment Idea 1: Participation Journal
Assessment
LSP Assessment Idea 2: Facilitation Lab
LSP Assessment Idea 3: Closing Discussion
LSP Assessment Idea 4: Showcase Portfolio
Congratulations! You've reached the End of the LSP Journey
We are here to help you. If something was not clear or you want to delve deeper into a topic, don't hesitate to contact us JHLADAcademy@jh.edu. Your curiosity is also part of learning. Before you go, we kindly ask that you take a moment to complete our . Your feedback is invaluable and will help us improve future iterations of this course. Thank you for taking the course!
2-minute course experience survey
Challenge
Activity Time Instructor Note
Challenge
The facilitator poses an open, purposeful question
Active Learning
Methodology that places the student at the center of the process, encouraging participation through practical exercises, debates, or problem-solving. It is more effective than simply presenting information.
Reflect
The group debriefs themes, insights, and next steps.
Share
Each person shares the story of their model—no interruptions.
Gamification
It is the use of game elements (points, levels, challenges) in educational or professional contexts to increase user motivation and engagement with the content.
Challenge
Activity Time Instructor Note
Challenge
Activity Time Instructor Note
LSP in Design Thinking
Build
Participants create 3D models with LEGO to represent their answer.
LSP in Design Thinking
Learning Curve
It is the representation of the time and effort that a person needs to acquire a new skill or knowledge. Well-structured content helps to smooth this curve, making learning more accessible and less burdensome.
LEGO®Serious Play (LSP) for Higher Education
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Transcript
LEGO®Serious Play (LSP) for Higher Education
Johns Hopkins L.A.D. Academy Learning Unit
Start
Foundations of LSP—From Bricks to Meaning
LEGO Serious Play® (LSP) is a facilitated thinking, communication, and problem-solving technique that helps people explore ideas and express themselves through building metaphors with LEGO bricks.
Click for next page
LSP Theoretical Roots
From Piaget to Papert to Csikszentmihalyi
Jean Piaget
Seymour Papert
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Constructivism – Knowledge is actively built, not transmitted
Constructionism – Learning happens best when learners create something shareable.
Flow – Deep engagement through challenge and skill balance.
LSP Core Principles
Hands-on = Minds-on
Metaphor
Storytelling
Equal Voice
The LSP Facilitation Process
Every LSP session follows a rhythm. We begin with a challenge question, move into silent building, then share our models and stories, and finally reflect together. This cycle keeps everyone engaged and helps surface both individual and collective meaning
The LSP Facilitation Process
Click for more information
Build
Challenge
Reflect
Share
The Facilitator’s Role—
Guide, Don't Direct
Crafting Effective Challenges—
Use the Power of the Question
Tips:
Learning Curve
Active Learning
Gamification
Examples:
Facilitation Micro-Skills—
Techniques That Keep the Flow
Encourage silence
Use neutral prompts
Give time limits
2–4 minutes for builds
Silence during building keeps focus and reduces comparison
Example “Tell us about your model.”
Reflect back, not interpret
Manage group energy with pacing and tone
Listens carefully, prompting reflection without judgment or interpretation.
Uses clear time limits and reminders to keep the group’s focus, creativity, and momentum high
Psychological Safety & Equal Voice—
Creating Space for Every Builder
Main ideas
Everyone builds; everyone shares
Models speak louder than status.
Debrief on insights, not individuals.
Encourage respect for each story.
Debriefing & Meaning-Making—
From Story to Insight
• Ask, “What themes do you notice across models?” • Summarize shared metaphors or values. • Encourage participants to connect insights to practice. • Document with photos or notes for reflection.
Applications in Teaching & Learning
Building Knowledge, Reflection, and Connection Through Play
LSP as Active Learning
“Build a quick model of how you define active learning—then describe what makes it active.”
Learners externalize their thinking through building
LSP transforms passive learning into hands-on inquiry
Reflection after building deepens conceptual understanding
Tangible models make abstract ideas visible and discussable
Fostering Critical Thinking, Identity, and Empathy
Models help visualize systems and relationships, encouraging analysis and synthesis
Critical Thinking
Identity
Empathy
Learners construct metaphors of self, values, or roles, deepening self-awareness
Sharing and interpreting others’ models builds perspective-taking and emotional understanding
“Build a model that shows who you are as a learner or educator — what values, strengths, or challenges shape the way you approach your work?”
“Build a model that represents how the different parts of your learning or work system connect — where are the strengths, and where are the tensions?”
“Build a model that represents how someone else in your team, classroom, or community might experience this challenge — what does their perspective look like?”
Case Examples Across Disciplines
Medical Education
STEM Education
Literacy Education
Across disciplines, educators can adapt LSP to meet diverse learning goals—whether enhancing teamwork dynamics, fostering empathy, or deepening reflection, both literally and figuratively
Case Example: Understanding Empathy in Patient Care
Reflect
Share
Build
Challenge
Case Example: Visualizing Design Trade-Offs and System Optimization
Reflect
Share
Build
Challenge
Case Example: Exploring Themes of Power and Resistance in a Novel
Reflect
Share
Build
Challenge
Strategic Facilitation
->
LSP can be used to spark innovation, facilitate research collaboration, and map out strategic systems
LSP in Design Thinking
Emphsize
In design thinking, the process moves between understanding and creating. LEGO Serious Play gives form to that cycle, allowing teams to experiment with ideas before they’re written or coded.
Test
Define
Prototype
Ideate
Systems Mapping Through LSP
How to Use LSP in System Mapping
When teams model systems together, patterns emerge that no single person could see alone. LSP acts as a living systems map, helping participants identify where influence and opportunity lie.
LSP for Team Building
Steps of Using LSP in Team Building
Strategy becomes tangible when teams can literally see the gap between where they are and where they want to be. The models act as blueprints for future planning discussions.
Use LSP to visualize organizational or lab goals.
Build the “current state” and the “ideal future state.”
Identify obstacles and bridges between the two.
Translate the model into an actionable strategic roadmap.
LSP for Research Facilitation & Co-Creation
“Build a model that shows how your research contributes to societal impact.”
“Create a structure representing how your team shares data and ideas.”
LSP Assessment— From Building to Becoming
The LSP Assessment section helps you capture what your learners have learned — not just what they built, but how they have grown as a learner, facilitator, designer, and reflective practitioner. Assessment in LSP focuses as much on process as on product
LSP Assessment Idea 1: Participation Journal
Assessment
LSP Assessment Idea 2: Facilitation Lab
LSP Assessment Idea 3: Closing Discussion
LSP Assessment Idea 4: Showcase Portfolio
Congratulations! You've reached the End of the LSP Journey
We are here to help you. If something was not clear or you want to delve deeper into a topic, don't hesitate to contact us JHLADAcademy@jh.edu. Your curiosity is also part of learning. Before you go, we kindly ask that you take a moment to complete our . Your feedback is invaluable and will help us improve future iterations of this course. Thank you for taking the course!
2-minute course experience survey
Challenge
Activity Time Instructor Note
Challenge
The facilitator poses an open, purposeful question
Active Learning
Methodology that places the student at the center of the process, encouraging participation through practical exercises, debates, or problem-solving. It is more effective than simply presenting information.
Reflect
The group debriefs themes, insights, and next steps.
Share
Each person shares the story of their model—no interruptions.
Gamification
It is the use of game elements (points, levels, challenges) in educational or professional contexts to increase user motivation and engagement with the content.
Challenge
Activity Time Instructor Note
Challenge
Activity Time Instructor Note
LSP in Design Thinking
Build
Participants create 3D models with LEGO to represent their answer.
LSP in Design Thinking
Learning Curve
It is the representation of the time and effort that a person needs to acquire a new skill or knowledge. Well-structured content helps to smooth this curve, making learning more accessible and less burdensome.