While students were enjoying their last day of the Thanksgiving break, Sedalia School District 200 staff members were working hard to extend their knowledge for the benefit of their students.
Nov. 28 was a scheduled professional development day for all certified staff in the district. These days are intended to be a learning day for educators, covering a variety of topics. Professional development days allow educators to become informed and inspired, in return motivating their students and increasing achievement.
Ashley Raetz, Smith-Cotton High instructional technology specialist and testing coordinator, said the activities promote teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving, and allow students to be active participants in their own learning. The newest activity was Breakout EDU. Staff had to solve multiple clues to open the locks to a breakout box.
“The staff had a great time during the Breakout EDU, and we had several staff members already planning to use this activity in their classroom,” Raetz said.
Some of the activities and lessons that took place Nov. 28 were small-group sessions, breakout sessions, departmental sessions and motivational speakers. Raetz led a building activity to introduce Breakout EDU, which is a spin-off of the popular escape rooms that are trending in bigger cities. This activity consisted of an underlying story or scenario to get the game started, followed by complex sets of puzzles that must be solved together as a team in order to “break out.”
“The reason I had our staff participate in one together during the professional development day was for a team-building opportunity, as well as a chance to experience the active engagement that could take place in their classrooms by setting up a breakout activity for their students,” Raetz said.
Science teacher Kristen McKinney assisted Raetz in putting together the new activity for the professional development day. McKinney said after participating in the Breakout EDU, she couldn’t wait to take this fun way of learning to her very own classroom.
“The day following the professional development day, I found myself brainstorming ideas and how I could implement this into my classroom,” McKinney said. She decided to design her own breakout session where students were able to review for their quiz over photosynthesis and respiration.
“My students are used to being able to flip to a page in a book to find the answer,” McKinney said. “Breakout EDU doesn’t work that way.”
In McKinney’s third period Freshman Biology class, students were put into three groups. Each group was given a small breakout box with one, three-digit lock on it along with a large wooden breakout box with a word lock, a directional lock, and a four-digit lock. The students learned that if they could unlock their box, there was an answer key to their quiz inside.
Students had to solve equations and riddles, and go on a scavenger hunt to unlock every lock. Once the students “broke out,” they found a note inside that read, “Congratulations! You and your team have broken out! But did you really think we would give you the WHOLE answer key? Come see me and I will give you the answer to ONE question on the quiz tomorrow.”
McKinney’s students enjoyed Breakout EDU.
“I liked it because it was challenging yet fun,” said Sierra Koetting, while Brayden Ballerd said, “The breakout was my favorite activity I have done in a while.”
McKinney also enjoyed the activity and said she thinks it was a more unique way of learning instead of just studying.
“Memorizing information will help you be average,” she said, “but applying information will make you above average.”
