Thinking Outside the Box: Fostering Collaboration and Critical Thinking Mindsets with Breakout EDU
Tracks
Hands on Demo
| Thursday, May 30, 2019 |
| 8:45 AM - 10:00 AM |
| HUM 2030 |
Speaker
Kelsey O'Brien
Information Literacy Librarian
University at Albany, SUNY
Thinking Outside the Box: Fostering Collaboration and Critical Thinking Mindsets with Breakout EDU
8:45 AM - 10:00 AMFull Abstract
Librarians at the University at Albany and Skidmore College have been experimenting with the immersive game platform Breakout EDU to incorporate gamification elements into our library instruction. Breakout EDU toolkits provide materials that allow educators to create their own escape-room style games for the classroom. After designing, implementing and refining several of these lessons, we have found that this format not only engages students, but also helps foster critical thinking mindsets such as inquiry, problem solving, and teamwork. These mindsets are building blocks for metaliteracy, which prepares students to take ownership of their learning.
We have implemented Breakout EDU activities in several different instructional contexts. In one particularly successful collaboration at UAlbany we have used the game as an introductory activity for a series of co-taught classes for first year students. The activity introduces students to concepts that are revisited throughout the semester, such as “failing better,” persisting through challenging tasks, and reevaluating (Detwiler, Jacobson, and O’Brien 2018). Other iterations of the game have included a zombie apocalypse scenario, a “Ready Player One”-inspired game, releasing a kidnapped library mascot, and a professional development workshop for library colleagues.
In this hands-on workshop, we will guide participants through a Breakout EDU game, followed by a debrief and presentation on how we have implemented and refined this activity for several different learning contexts. Participants will have an opportunity to experience this creative classroom practice firsthand, and will leave the session with ideas for implementing their own Breakout EDU games. We will also share our tips, resources and lessons learned about designing and facilitating the games.
Detwiler, Susan, Trudi Jacobson, and Kelsey O’Brien. 2018. “BreakoutEDU: Helping Students Break Out of Their Comfort Zones.” C&RL News 79, no. 2 (February): 62-66. https://crln.acrl.org/index.php/crlnews/article/view/16875
We have implemented Breakout EDU activities in several different instructional contexts. In one particularly successful collaboration at UAlbany we have used the game as an introductory activity for a series of co-taught classes for first year students. The activity introduces students to concepts that are revisited throughout the semester, such as “failing better,” persisting through challenging tasks, and reevaluating (Detwiler, Jacobson, and O’Brien 2018). Other iterations of the game have included a zombie apocalypse scenario, a “Ready Player One”-inspired game, releasing a kidnapped library mascot, and a professional development workshop for library colleagues.
In this hands-on workshop, we will guide participants through a Breakout EDU game, followed by a debrief and presentation on how we have implemented and refined this activity for several different learning contexts. Participants will have an opportunity to experience this creative classroom practice firsthand, and will leave the session with ideas for implementing their own Breakout EDU games. We will also share our tips, resources and lessons learned about designing and facilitating the games.
Detwiler, Susan, Trudi Jacobson, and Kelsey O’Brien. 2018. “BreakoutEDU: Helping Students Break Out of Their Comfort Zones.” C&RL News 79, no. 2 (February): 62-66. https://crln.acrl.org/index.php/crlnews/article/view/16875
