Teachers at Southern Middle School in Reading, PA have created their own escape room challenge as part of their science curriculum.
Greg Lerch and Kym Downer, both science teachers at Southern Middle School, were looking online at various ways to alter the mundane repetition of what would typically be an everyday science lesson.
They came across the brilliant idea of implementing the escape room concept and brought it to the classroom. Students would need to work to answer questions on paper, and then use those answers to solve a puzzle. After successfully completing the puzzle, the teacher would check their progress and advance them to the next level. Upon reaching the final level, they receive a computer code, which allows them to ‘escape’.
Greg Lerch noted, “There is definitely a collaborative element to this. While one student is figuring out the answer, another student is figuring out the code to unlock the next level. They're working together because they want to be the first to escape.”
He goes onto say, “That's what I think one of the great things about this activity is. Not only are you answering questions, but then you have to do something with that information. You have to solve a puzzle.”
Denise Solecki, a professional development facilitator for the district, compared the results from students who learned using the escape room technique and those who learned using the standard method of notes from a textbook.
The results were impressive. The group that used the escape room method actually outscored the other.
