A while back I did a guest post on one of my favorite educational websites, 2 Peas and a Dog. If you haven’t visited before, it’s full of great tips and tools to use in the classroom. Definitely check it out! My post discussed escape rooms and why they should be used in the classroom.
Check it out below:
Over the last year, I have become completely crazy over escape rooms! So much so that I find myself trying to figure out ways to implement them with practically every standard I teach. If you aren’t familiar with this, escape rooms are a series of games/puzzles/etc., where contestants (students) use critical thinking and sometimes teamwork to “breakout” of a room.
The first escape room that I created and used in the classroom was for end of year testing. Kids dread nothing more than preparing for tests…so why not make reviewing for these dreaded assessments something the kids will remember??!? And how perfect that they can remember skills we need them to know!!! After seeing how engaged my kids were, I knew that this was a fantastic strategy that every teacher should use, and I ended up creating another test prep escape room in the process! Check out the bundle here.
Today I want to share 5 reasons why escape rooms should be used in the classroom:
#1- Team Building
Escape rooms are a great way to force your students to work together for a common purpose. To determine how to unlock the code and move from one room to the other, they have to figure out how to solve the problem at hand using each others’ strengths.
#2- Promote Critical Thinking
In order to escape and move on in the process, students must delve deep and discuss the options that are available to them with the materials they have. The answers are often not right in front of them. Instead, they have to typically read between the lines, and challenge themselves.
#3- Interactive
Whether they’re done digitally or in a traditional manner, students must interact with each other, in addition to the material. This allows for making connections and stimulates students’ brains in a way that will help them to truly comprehend the material.
#4- Keeps Students Engaged
Just like we see when kids are playing games, escape rooms keep their attention. People are often competitive by nature, and when our students see that the goal is to escape one room to move to another, they want to do what it takes to make this happen.
#5- Works for any Subject Area
Escape rooms can be used for any subject or skill. Determine what it is that you want your students to focus on, and the activities that take place in an escape room can be used to assist them in mastering this skill/standard.
If you would like to check out my blog post about the escape room I created for end of year test prep, click here.
I’d love to try using this soon!
Love this idea (especially the idea of using it around testing time!)! I bet your students just love it!
Escape rooms are so popular in my buildings. Thank you for showing us the purpose behind all this fun! When I work with teachers I want to start with the why, why it’s good for kids.