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Breakout EDU:
As 21st- Century Pedagogy
Rationale
Interactive games in the classroom are an important tool to develop the 5 C’s (community, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity). Breakout EDU builds off the popularity of the escape rooms with an educational focus. The community that has grown, and continues to grow, around this movement embodies the 5C’s as a philosophy. With roots in the maker, DIY, and Do-it-together movements, the Breakout EDU sessions are a vehicle to engage in active learning, encourage the growth mindset, review and solidify knowledge in any number of content areas.
Review
The concept of the educational escape room behind Breakout EDU was developed in March of 2015. Given this is a fairly “new” educational activity and community the research behind this specific pedagogical tool is still in its infancy. A request for more information has been sent to the creators of www.breakoutedu.com. In the meantime, a review of game-based or interactive games in the classroom will serve as a foundation for published work on this topic.
Mowry (2016) notes the popularity of the escape room phenomenon in an article published in the Business NH magazine. While you might expect a fledgling industry to be riddled with fierce competition, Mowry reports that the companies in New Hampshire have actually reached out to one another to problem solve and strategize together (2016). A Google search of the Greater Toronto Area reveals 72 of these escape/breakout rooms. While these rooms have largely catered to the entertainment of adults, Breakout EDU allows educators, administrators and students to run and/or create puzzles based on a variety of topics and target a varied set of skills or information. The game-based nature of the activity allows students to work in collaborative teams to solve puzzles to unlock the breakout box.
Working together as a team to solve a problem embodies several of the new skills necessary for success in the 21st-century. Seeing like minded companies come together to help make the industry stronger sets a strong message of collaboration, creative thinking and community. In order for students to stay relevant today, we must give them a strong foundation in the skills necessary for success (Common Sense Education, 2014). The knowledge base turns over so quickly and knowledge has a much shorter half-life than ever before (Siemens, 2004). Today people must be creative, proficient communicators, collaborators, and critical thinkers. Exposure and practice with these skills will enable students to compete in the modern world and create change within the 21st-century learning and work environments. Addition of “community” helps to focus the learner on their place within society and strive towards a better tomorrow by adding to the community in a positive way.
Outline:
The materials that will need to be collected to do a Breakout EDU session:
Run Breakout session: Using prepared Breakout EDU games, run Breakout session to test out use of the box and locks. This will help me gauge the willingness to participate and get a baseline of comfort with the 5C’s.
Create own Breakout session: I will work with several other teachers in our school and within the Breakout EDU community to either pilot a new breakout game, or run a previously published game in comparison to a traditional pencil paper type task. Results will be compared in terms of engagement and the development of two of the 5C’s: communication, critical thinking.
Resources:
Common Sense Education. (2014, 11 03). Introduction to the 4 C's [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNVQNz2Hto8
Common Sense Education (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2016 from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/videos/introduction-to-the-4-cs
Mowry, M. J. (2016). Escape rooms capture NH's attention. Business NH Magazine,33(5), 12-13. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/docview/1790712083? accountid=14694
Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1), 3-10.