Escape the Blahs with BreakoutEdu

BreakoutEdu has been in my pedagogical sights for about a year. What sealed my determination to do a BreakoutEdu with my classes was talking to other teachers at the Games in Education Symposium this summer and doing an escape room with some fellow teachers at the local mall.

The escape room was probably the most fun I had with a group of people in years. That may sound like a sad reflection of my life, but gaming and even traveling isn't the same kind of fun as an escape room. Soon after that eventful week (perhaps even the same week, I don't remember) I started a Donors Choose to get some materials to do a BreakoutEdu (see my previous post on my physics class experience). Low risk, my physics class was a success. Then, after seeing how everything played out, I planned out an activity for my 8th graders. A much greater risk with a potentially much greater reward.

My 8th graders loved the experience. I ended up doing a BreakoutEdu review that included different aspects on our small unit on motion and speed. I had two sets of materials. I decided to break the class into two teams that were further broken into three groups. I was hoping each group could tackle a different lines of clues that would lead to the team opening the crate. That didn't really happen but it wasn't a disaster either. Here is a breakdown of my BreakoutEdu:

Pro:

• Students had fun!
• There was meaningful, good collaboration
• 1/2 of the teams opened their crate
• There was discussion about the science content
• (most) students were respectful of the rules
• Even students who didn't open their crate said they had fun.

Con:

• Teams relied on the "smart" kids
• A few students only watched
• Setting up the clues again between classes

My idea of grouping didn't work. I gave each group a different clue and naively expected them to just work in a group of 3 or 4 to figure it out. Instead, they just did a pow-wow with their team. Seeing the collaborative dynamic unfold I wasn't going to intervene. The idea of two competitive teams worked. They purposely spoke quietly to avoid being overheard by the other team. The erudite silence was only interrupted by occasional "I found it!" or "We got it!" proclamations. At the end of the month I will begin working on another session for my classes. Lots of work but so much fun! If you are on the fence and wondering if it is worth it: it is. Don't think that your kids can't do it or won't enjoy it. They will try their hardest and enjoy it. All you need are the materials and the hard work ahead of time to ensure everything runs as smooth as possible.