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Blindfolded Assembly
In groups of three, you will assemble a chosen LEGO® set (provided by me, unless you would like to bring your own). Each student in your group will fulfill a different role in the assembly:
- Assembler—The assembler will be blindfolded and the only member of the team who is allowed to assemble the LEGO® product or touch the main assembly.
- Instruction Giver—The instruction giver will describe the assembly process to the assembler, hand the pieces to the assembler, and guide the assembler through the creation of the LEGO® set. This person is not allowed to orient or align pieces being handed to the assembler, nor can s/he construct any part of the assembly.
- Scribe—The scribe will take notes on the following assembly interactions between the assembler and instruction giver:
- What Works: What different instruction terminology, methods, descriptions, and techniques are effective in communicating the construction process to the blindfolded assembler?
- What Doesn't: What different instructions are not effective in communicating the construction process to the blindfolded assembler? What methods need further clarification? Why?
- Construction Obstacles: What specific instruction steps or descriptions are particularly problematic in the construction of your LEGO® set? Why?
- Obstacle Solutions: How did your group overcome the more difficult obstacles you encountered in your instruction assembly?
Essentially, the instruction giver will need to convey the visual LEGO® instructions in a method that the assembler will understand, as the assembler will neither be able to see the instructions nor the set assembly. All oral communication is completely open to all members of the group; any member may ask questions or contribute to the instructional dialogue that aids in the assembly.
Tech Support Simulation
In groups of three, you will assemble a chosen LEGO® set (provided by me, unless you would like to bring your own). Each student in your group will fulfill a different role in the assembly:
- Assembler—The assembler will be the only member of the team who is allowed to assemble the LEGO® product or touch the main assembly; s/he is not allowed to see the LEGO® instructions at any time during the assembly process.
- Instruction Giver—The instruction giver will describe the assembly process to the assembler and guide the assembler through the creation of the LEGO® set; s/he is not allowed to see the LEGO® pieces at any time during the assembly process.
- Scribe—The scribe will take notes on the assembly dialogue between the assembler and instruction giver. Record the general purposes of the dialogue that exists between the instruction giver and the assembler, paying close attention to:
- Clarification: What instruction clarifications are necessary? Why? How do these instructions get re-phrased for clarification?
- Verification: What questions does the instruction giver ask of the assembler? For what purposes? How do these questions aid her/him in offering instruction?
The scribe does not need to document every question, such as (1) "What did you just say?" or (2) "Which piece was that?" or (3) "How do these go together?" However, be sure to record the purpose of such questions, such as (1) the assembler needed a particular instruction re-phrased to understand the given step, (2) the assembler needed further description of the piece, or (3) the orientation of the pieces was unclear to the assembler.
Essentially, the instruction giver will need to convey the visual LEGO® instructions in a method that the assembler will understand, as the assembler will neither be able to see the instructions; however, the assembler will also need to effectively convey the progress of the assembly, as the instruction giver will not be able to see the LEGO® assembly. The scribe should monitor both the instructions and the assembly so s/he may fully assess the progress of the assembly. Both the instruction giver and the assembler may ask questions or contribute to the instructional dialogue that aids in the assembly; this dialogue should be the main focus of note taking, as the questions will indicate the areas of instruction that need clarification.
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