Watched a teacher turn a boring textbook into a game at a conference in Columbus

I used to think textbooks were just the way you had to do it, no matter how dull. But at the Ohio Education Expo last month, a history teacher showed me how she turned each chapter into a classroom escape room with just index cards and a timer. The students were actually fighting over who got to solve the next clue about the Industrial Revolution. Has anyone else tried making your own lesson games from scratch?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_dylan11d ago

Does it seem like we're finally figuring out that people learn better when they're actually having fun? I noticed the same thing with my guys on the job site. If I just hand them a list of steps they tune out after two minutes. But if we turn it into a quick contest or a challenge they remember everything way better. Games just tap into something basic in us, I think, whether you're twelve years old or fifty. It's like we're wired to pay more attention when there's a little competition or mystery involved. That teacher you saw sounds like she's onto something that could work anywhere, not just in a classroom.

jamiekim10d ago

Wait, wait wait wait. Did you just say she turned a whole history chapter into an escape room with just index cards and a timer? No fancy computers or expensive equipment or anything like that? That blows my mind a little because I always figured you needed all this budget and tech to pull something like that off. The fact that she got kids actually fighting over solving clues about the Industrial Revolution is incredible. That sounds way more engaging than any video I've seen teachers try to use.