Don't Just Talk About Creativity, Practice It With Bricks

DURHAM, N.C. - Nov. 19, 2018 - PRLog -- In a new survey about future jobs, creativity is thought to be the third most important skill needed for business success.[1] When Dr. Karen Mishra asked her business classes at the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business at Campbell University if they felt creative (and hence, prepared for those future jobs), almost every student replied, "No." That is when she knew it was time for a visit from her friend Megan Oteri, founder of Brick Scholars.

Dr. Mishra invited Lego®Serious Play® facilitator Megan Oteri to facilitate a Lego® Serious Play® workshop in her management and communication/critical thinking classes at Campbell University because she is a highly skilled and energetic facilitator, and certified to lead Lego® Serious Play® workshops for both students and businesses.  Ms. Oteri's firm, Brick Scholars, offers creativity and STEAM workshops for K-12 in schools, camps and for community programs.  She also provides team building activities for business teams to help them develop their spirit of creative play, as well as to improve team collaboration and communication, increase employee engagement, and help teams innovate solutions while developing their soft skills.

Ms. Oteri led the students through several prompts to spur their thinking and get their hands moving.  She encouraged them not to "have a conversation with themselves" as a way to stall, but to jump right in as "our hands will show us what we are thinking." Students quickly remembered how much fun it is to build with Legos, many sharing stories of their first Lego sets as they were growing up, noting, "I like how it really sparked creativity; there was no right or wrong way to build. It helped you understand your team members better in a fun way." Students could see that Ms. Oteri also reinforced communication and collaboration in this activity saying, "I like that it encouraged individuality while also creating an atmosphere for positive team collaboration!"

Students shared their Lego creations on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.  One business student commented that "this was the most fun class he has had all semester!"  In other positive feedback students noted that they enjoyed the "Whole Brain/Hand Connection" and the ability to "Apply the concept that our hands know what our mind are thinking before we do."  Finally, one student said, "I enjoyed the opportunity to take Legos and use them as an interactive tool. The ability for my hands to portray my emotions without my brain commanding them was an experience like no other!"

Dr. Mishra has invited Brick Scholars into her classroom many times, to inspire creativity in both her management and marketing students.  Ms. Oteri always delivers an interesting, fun, and creative session.

You can learn more about Brick Scholars at https://www.brickscholars.com.

[1] https://www.ideatovalue.com/inno/nickskillicorn/2016/09/l...