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7 Benefits of Using Classroom Escape Room Challenges
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Classroom escape room challenges are all the rage right now. I’m not kidding when I say that my students literally CHEER when they find out that we are doing an escape room activity! Nothing makes my teacher heart happier than seeing students genuinely excited about learning.
Aside from being extremely exciting for students, here are seven other benefits of classroom escape room activities that will convince you it’s time to try escape rooms challenges out with your students!
1. Classroom Escape Room Challenges are Academically Rigorous and Challenging
One of the great things about classroom escape challenges is that teachers can immerse students in truly rigorous content in a way that excites, rather than intimidates, them. Because an escape room activity is naturally engaging, students are more apt to persevere and work through challenging content without giving up or asking for help.
When you present an escape room to students as a challenge, they can anticipate that it will not be as simple or easy as other assignments, just by the nature of the activity. Therefore, escape rooms are a great time to focus on teaching or reviewing more difficult and rigorous content while still maintaining student engagement.
2. Escape Rooms Encourage Student Independence
Think about this. If you were to assign a reading passage that was meant to challenge students and asked them to complete it to the best of their ability, many students would shut down or rely on getting teacher help and support to complete it due to the difficulty of the task.
However, if you attach a puzzle or challenge element to the same assignment, an amazing transformation happens! Instead, students WANT to be able to PROVE they can solve the challenge without adult support. They work harder than ever to “win” or “escape.” Not only do they push themselves to engage in the rigorous content, but the pride they feel when they are able to accomplish the task is wonderful to witness!
3. Classroom Escape Rooms Improve Students’ Social and Collaborative Skills
Because escape rooms are supposed to be a challenge, it’s beneficial that students work together to complete them. This could mean assigning small groups or partners for in-person learning, or using breakout rooms if teaching virtually.
In order to complete a classroom escape room activity, students must demonstrate teamwork, collaboration, and respect by working with their groups or partners to complete the challenge. They know that if they do not work together and help each other out, their team will likely not succeed. Students are motivated to show respect and collaboration when working on an escape room challenge because they often want to be the first group to finish, or finish before the predetermined time is up.
4. Classroom Escape Room Challenges are an Engaging Way to Practice or Review Content Skills
Classroom escape rooms are wonderful for test prep or content reviews. Often students find test prep boring and are typically unmotivated to participate. Using an escape room to review is a surefire way to fix that issue!
5. A Classroom Escape Room Can Help Teach Time Management Skills
Time management is a skill that is not usually explicitly taught in school, but one that is very important to learn. Escape rooms are a FUN way to teach students how to manage their time. Before the escape room starts, tell students that they have X amount of time to complete it. Provide them with friendly reminders about their time remaining as they work through the escape as well. You will notice that the more escape rooms students complete over time, the more developed their time management skills become!
Another benefit to using timed escape rooms is that not only do students practice managing their time, but they also experience how to focus and work while under the pressure of being timed. This is a great way to practice for standardized testing, which is also a timed assignment that can be intimidating for students. Before standardized testing begins, remind students of how well they worked while being timed when completing their classroom escape room challenges.
6. Escape Rooms Turn Learning into a Game
Learning should be fun. I truly believe that play is our brain’s favorite way of learning. Therefore, as a teacher, I am all about gamification! I am constantly looking for ways I can turn my lessons and activities into games to increase student (and teacher!) engagement.
Classroom escape rooms are the perfect solution. They turn the learning content into a game. The best part is that students are always asking for MORE when they are done! Such a win!
7. Escape Rooms Require Students to Problem Solve and Think Critically
Not only do students work on rigorous academic content when completing an escape room, but they also solve a series of riddles and puzzles to earn the clues to escape to the next challenge. Puzzles and riddles are wonderful ways to improve students’ thinking ability and creativity. They must problem solve to determine the answers to the clues.
Additionally, if students answered a question incorrectly during a challenge activity, then they would not be able to solve their clue to move on and escape. They would need to go back and problem solve to see what aspect or question is solved incorrectly and fix it to eventually crack the code. Having students work together in groups or partners is a great way to bounce ideas and thoughts off of one another to problem solve so they eventually come up with the correct answers.
Another bonus is that these classroom escape room challenges are self checking. Students know that they got the right answers if they find the correct clues.
Looking to try out escape rooms in your classroom? Check out my ELA Print + Digital Escape Rooms for Upper Elementary Students:
Download Your FREE Grammar & Conventions Escape Room!
Perfect for 4th-6th Grade ELA Classrooms
*By entering your information, you agree to receive email communication from me. Per my privacy policy, you can unsubscribe at any time.
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