This week in class we had a lesson activity created by one
of our colleagues based upon grade 12 Advanced Functions. He focused the
lesson primarily on trig identities but the actual way he taught the lesson was
one of the most innovative and interactive ways that I have ever
witnessed. The instructor set-up a complete "escape room"
activity where we had to solve problems, figure out clues figure out famous
mathematicians all to obtain a final key which opened a locked box. While
doing this escape room, I was having so much fun that I forgot I was even doing
trigonometry at the same time. There were so many twists and turns
throughout the activity which allowed all the participants to really use their
brains and think critically. Overall, it was a great activity. The video featured here has great ideas and tips to include in your escape room for your class.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqzczyx5dss
In terms of applying this activity to a unit, it can be seen that it could be used as a culminating activity or used as a study period before a test. I feel that this should only be used near the end of a unit because you have to apply all the information you would've learned throughout the unit to solve the final riddle. This is what makes it very useful for a culminating activity as you as the teacher can go around and observe how the students are interact with the problems and working together to achieve the answer. Moreover, the idea of a "escape room" can be set-up just for fun before a test as it does review major concepts but takes the stress out of having a quiet study period in the classroom. This may in fact not only help students learn what areas they need to still study but allows them to relax and have fun in the math classroom. Debriefing the activity is a great way for the teams to reflect on the process, how well they worked together what they would've done differently, what areas did they struggle with, what areas did the do well with?
Finally, what I really think is great about this idea is that it can be applied to almost every subject in a highschool curriculum. For example, my second teachable is geography and I know I could create a great escape room activity on something like Canada's resources and industries. This could also be applied to a unit in English if students were studying Shakespeare for example as it can be a creative way for students to brush up on their knowledge. The website at the bottom has great resources for you to check out and apply the escape room to your activity.
https://www.theescapeclassroom.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqzczyx5dss
In terms of applying this activity to a unit, it can be seen that it could be used as a culminating activity or used as a study period before a test. I feel that this should only be used near the end of a unit because you have to apply all the information you would've learned throughout the unit to solve the final riddle. This is what makes it very useful for a culminating activity as you as the teacher can go around and observe how the students are interact with the problems and working together to achieve the answer. Moreover, the idea of a "escape room" can be set-up just for fun before a test as it does review major concepts but takes the stress out of having a quiet study period in the classroom. This may in fact not only help students learn what areas they need to still study but allows them to relax and have fun in the math classroom. Debriefing the activity is a great way for the teams to reflect on the process, how well they worked together what they would've done differently, what areas did they struggle with, what areas did the do well with?
Finally, what I really think is great about this idea is that it can be applied to almost every subject in a highschool curriculum. For example, my second teachable is geography and I know I could create a great escape room activity on something like Canada's resources and industries. This could also be applied to a unit in English if students were studying Shakespeare for example as it can be a creative way for students to brush up on their knowledge. The website at the bottom has great resources for you to check out and apply the escape room to your activity.
https://www.theescapeclassroom.com/
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