Learning Unlocked

Learning Unlocked in Escape Room Class

“I love riddles and escape rooms and I really like to have the for the students in the higher-level courses. Sometimes the kids moving around. This allows the students the opportunity clues lead them to another spot in the classroom other times to be hands on—doing things and demonstrating their they’re in the hallway using the numbers they’ve uncovered knowledge for what they learned,” said Harvey. in the clue to open a combination on a locker, where another Harvey creates the escape room as a midterm, with each of the eight puzzles representing a question from each of the units taught The clock is ticking. learning experience. “Hopefully I’m teaching them skills that during the first half of the year. Chemistry skills are incorporated along the way, from The puzzles are in place. can be applied later in life. It’s not always about being right-I don’t care what the writing a hypothesis to extrapolating Students are ready to break results are-communicate to me what graphing data to finding density— free, but instead of pretending you’re learning and what we can do students need to prove they can do it they’re archeologists who need to make it different. As long as you all in order to unlock each piece of the to escape a tomb before they can do an analysis and a conclusion, puzzle. Once one clue is solved, students succumb to an ancient you’re still learning because the analysis receive information leading them to the next curse, they’re using is communication and the conclusion is which asks them to perform a new chemistry assignment. The process continues until each group breaks free of each riddle, leading them to the final lock where their grade is held. clues provided by their teacher to solve science experiments what’s important,” said Harvey. The creation of the escape rooms are not difficult. For those who don’t want to write their own rooms, there are now online resources available “This really forces you to apply what you’re and unlock their to help build them for little cost. Harvey started supposed to know, so you’re not just memorizing grades being her escape room with a few pad locks and but your applying it, and that’s how we learn in held hostage. This pencil case type bags from a local store, costing this class,” said student Zach Piela. is Andrea Harvey’s only a dollar each. She then wrote four classroom—her escape clues. The rooms have since expanded after Born out of Harvey’s mindset that students room at Gray-New a demand from the students to continue need to learn how to become critical Gloucester High School. learning in this hands-on way. thinkers rather than test takers, Harvey clue is hidden inside. Here, failure is also part of the works to create unique escape rooms for each “It was interesting-I love being able to apply of her classes, even letting her honors students write the clues things I’ve learned,” said student Mike Twohig.