When: Wednesday 14th November, 3:45pm – 4:15pm
Where: Theatre, Level 2 down the stairs to the right of the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #W18

Six Bricks is a simple yet powerful program for learning using just six LEGO® DUPLO® bricks. It was developed in South Africa in 2013 as a means of providing children and their educators from less advantaged backgrounds with daily physical activities with which to improve their perceptual, pre-numeracy and pre-literacy development.

Six Bricks is a concept owned by the LEGO Foundation, used in some of their projects, and while it is not commercially available, there are great lessons to be learned.

There are well over 250 short exercises that can affect reasoning, literacy, numeracy and perceptual skills, and not just in children, but anyone at any age and from any background. From schools to corporate team-building, from playful learning to serious science communication, the Six Bricks program is demonstrably effective.

During the ASC2018 conference I will lead a ‘hands-on’ Six Bricks demonstration that involves curiosity, collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking and a can-do attitude, the “6Cs” of 21st century STEM skills.

Six Bricks is an example of a cost-effective program that is readily understood and simple to train others to implement. Delegates should come away with fresh ideas and the confidence to apply Learning Through Play methodology in their own work.

This session is supported by PlayFutures www.playfutures.net

Further information:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/725765130822588/

https://www.legofoundation.com/en/learn-how/knowledge-base/six-bricks/

Session Producer/Presenter

Adam Selinger, Executive Director, Children’s Discovery Museum Ltd

When: Wednesday 13th November, 8:40am – 9:10am
Where: Theatre, Level 2 down the stairs to the right of the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #T1

Two patients with the same condition decide to research possible treatments. They encounter multiple sources, from experts and others, each with different – sometimes contradictory – information. Depending on whom they believe and how they integrate these claims, the patients may make radically different decisions. These situations are commonplace in everyday life, from medical choices, to our voting decisions. How do we understand these differences, and support people in making the best decisions?

Epistemic cognition provides one lens onto this problem. Epistemic cognition is the study of how people think about the justification, source, complexity, and certainty of knowledge. When we evaluate evidence, think about where and when it applies, and connect claims to build models, we engage our epistemic cognition. Understanding how people navigate their own, and others’ knowledge is one of the most pressing social issues of our time in order to develop a sustainable society. I’ll draw on research in epistemic cognition, and my own research on how people search for and talk about evidence, to flag key implications of epistemic cognition research for science communication.

Session Producer

Isabelle Kingsley, PhD candidate, Science Communication, University of New South Wales

Invited Speaker

Dr Simon Knight, Lecturer, Faculty of Transdisciplinary Innovation, University of Technology Sydney