Trying something new can be very intimidating for some people, including teachers. This past Wednesday I put our middle school and high school teachers through something new--BreakoutEDU. Of course at the beginning there was some major skepticism of what to do, how to start, where to go, and what will be the end result. I mean, these are teachers. We plan, plan, and plan some more. We almost always know what the end result will be for an activity we try in class. But...the teachers were no longer the leaders of the whole group. They became the students!
Every now and again it is important for teachers to do a role reversal and feel what it is like to be a student. So as I walked around and observed, I paid special attention to "my students" actions and reactions, in terms of being a student. These observations were tremendous. Here are some items of note that I observed.
1. Learning can be active. This is important for me as a leader of professional development. There have been many times over the past couple of years where I have done a presentation, but it was mainly a "stand and deliver" type of presentation. As I walked around, most people were engaged and actively participating in the different activities. Does this happen every day in your classroom? How about every week? Each month? How often do you do an activity that engages 95% of your class? (I know I did not do that enough when I was in my classroom. And I also know that not every day can have these types of engaging activities.)
2. There are leaders in every group, and...some...others... In #1, I spoke about 95% engagement. Well, it is because I just ran an activity that did not have completely 100% participation. So, it was pretty awesome to watch the staff try something new and different and it was interesting to see who the leaders turned out to be in each of the four groups. However, just like many activities that happen in class, there were some "others". The loaners. The unengaged. Did you notice it? If so, did you just let your peers work on something else? Did you let them wander around the table aimlessly? Or did you go out of your comfort zone and try to include your teammates that were doing something else? Did you call them by name and ask them to help with a clue? Does this ever happen in your class? How, do you engage those that do not participate in a group activity? Do you just let them wander around your room, looking for guidance? Or do you give them guidance...
3. Different can be exciting! Does this need much explaining? Ha! Some times you need to shake things up in the classroom. It is easy to get stuck in the same routine day in and day out. However, it is always a breath of fresh air to the students, as well as the teachers, to try out something different and new. When was the last time you broke up the "routine" of your daily agenda? How do you think students would respond to a shake up in your class? When was the last time you "tried something new"?
4. Gamification encourages perseverance. One of the best ways to get students to engaged in class is to add some forms of "gaming" to the curriculum. As a participant of a game, you have an objective to complete, some times with the help of teammates. When you participate in a game, you often continue to work towards the goal regardless of any obstacles that may be in front of you. As I walked around to the different groups, I saw numerous group members questioning, collaborating, experimenting, and trying to think of ways to solve clues. Very, very few groups had individuals that were just sitting and waiting for something "magic" to happen. They were persistent and continued to work towards the common goal. How do you model perseverance in your classroom? Do your students give up right away when things do not go as planned or when they get the wrong answer? How do you recognize them for continuing to work hard to complete their goals?
5. Learning comes in different forms. All humans learn differently. The BreakoutEDU "Time Warp" game entailed many different activities for teams to solve their clues. There were tangible items to discover, QR codes to read, puzzles to solve, and research to be done. In your groups you may have noticed your different team members that had different abilities to solve the various clues. Did everyone in your group know how to use a QR code reader? Was there anyone in your group that knew the hieroglyphics right off the top of their head? Did anyone guess the lock codes right away? I doubt it. Which means that there wasn't anyone with previous knowledge of the topics. So how did you notice learning taking place in your groups? Did you get upset with anyone in your group because they didn't have prior knowledge of the topic? Yet, in our classes, don't we expect everyone to know how to do something right away, or even have some prior knowledge? Keep in mind how it felt when you didn't know something. It is always important to find different ways to access your students knowledge. They all have some knowledge. We just need to find out the best way to help them show it.
Finally, I hope you enjoyed the BreakoutEDU game! It is fun to participate, but it is equally as satisfying facilitating to others. When you facilitate your first game, make sure you observe the students, their engagement, the leaders, the loaners, the "gamers", the researchers, and ultimately, the learners.
So, when are you ready to do your own #BreakoutEDU game in your class?
