Leonardo Bridge Challenge (Coming Soon)
Building something with your hands can make learning more engaging, but hands-on activity alone does not require you to generate ideas of your own. The Leonardo Bridge Challenge lets you experience the difference. First, build Leonardo’s self-supporting bridge from an existing design. Then create and test a bridge of your own. By comparing the two experiences, you can feel the shift from active learning to the kind of generative learning we need in today’s world
Build Leonardo's Model
Begin by assembling Leonardo’s self-supporting bridge and seeing how the interlocking pieces work together without nails or fasteners. You are active, engaged, and learning by doing, but the design decisions have already been made for you. This is what hands-on active learning feels like.
Build Your Own
Next, the directions disappear. Using simple materials, devise a bridge that meets the challenge in your own way. You decide what to build, how to build it, and how to improve it as you test your ideas. This is what learning can feel like today. Which experience asked more of your mind? Which felt more like the kind of learning we need now?
Think Like Leonardo
Now reflect on the difference. In the first activity, you reconstructed a model of a very cleverly designed bridge. In the second, you had to observe, question, invent, test, and revise. Compare the experience of active learning with the experience of learning and thinking more like Leonardo.