Ever heard of
Escape Rooms? Or seen one on popular television shows like The Big Bang Theory?
Breakout EDU is the education version of this form of entertainment. Here is a
Washington Post article about the trend.
Breakout EDU games require teamwork, critical thinking, and problem
solving. Games can be general knowledge or can be tailored to specific content
areas. Breakouts ask students to
use clues hidden around the room to open locked boxes or padlocks and “breakout”.
Mrs. Hass and I attended a training this
summer at Grant Wood AEA on creating Breakout EDU games. Mrs. Hass planned a
Breakout for her 4th grade students, “The Swamp”, and also
challenged the staff during one of our Professional Learning days in August.
The first activity I did with the 6th
grade Tech Classes was a Digital Breakout called “Catch the Bus”. Digital
Breakouts use the same ideas as Breakout EDU games, but students enter the
codes into a Google Form instead of a padlock. I also used Mrs. Hass’ Breakout “The
Swamp” to challenge the 6th grade classes.
After the Breakout EDU game, I asked students
to reflect on their experience. Many responses mentioned the excitement and
challenge of the game. Several students also shared how they could have worked
together instead of alone to solve the clues. One student answered the question
What would you change about the breakout?
with “I think
that the game should be a little bit harder so that the kids can learn about
team work.”
Some student
answers to What did you enjoy about the
breakout?
- It was fun
and we all had to work together.
- The challenge.
- Everything.
- The mystery.
- We got to
work together as a class.
- Figuring out
the locks.
- It was a hands
on activity.
