Texas Mathematics Teacher Fall/Winter 2022 - 10

Teacher Candidates Create Digital Escape Rooms
for Mathematics Application in Virtual Classrooms
Papert (1993) builds off Jean Piaget's " constructivist "
theory to assert that creation (or construction) of an
artifact that is then shared with others can promote
learning through active engagement. Finally, most TCs
indicated that since both mentor teachers and young
students seemed to enjoy and learn from the project,
they would probably be willing to invest the time and
effort needed to create escape rooms for their own future
classrooms.
Potential Variations for This Project
For educators (at all levels) considering this project for
their own classrooms, revisions to this assignment can
help it meet a variety of educational needs. For example,
including a final quiz (comprised of answers already
solved throughout the escape room) or a riddle to solve
(based on clues collected throughout the escape room)
could provide documentation of student learning for
graded evaluations. Additionally, making it a team-based
experience for students to complete with peers could help
facilitate socially constructed learning (Vygotsky, 1978)
and encouraging families/guardians to play along could
support guided student learning at home. To flip the
project, students (of all ages) could create escape rooms
to demonstrate understanding of the math concepts they
have been learning, essentially acting as the math test
itself.
For K-12 educators seeking to partner on this project with
teacher educators, the virtual component of this project
means that they can reach out beyond just their local
universities. Teacher candidates are required to earn field
experience hours towards their professional licensure
and this project offers a novel way for them to connect
course learning to communities. It is recommended that
classroom teachers reach out with ideas and requests at
the beginning of August or January when professors are
planning their syllabus assignments.
Conclusion
Service-Learning has long been a primary teaching
strategy in my courses because it promotes " hands-on
use of skills and knowledge that increases the relevance
of academic skills and deepens the understanding of core
academic concepts and theories " (Institute for Learning
and Teaching, 2007). And thanks to the inherent creativity,
flexibility, and responsiveness of S-L, I was still able to
offer an experience-based learning project for the benefit
of my TCs and our partnering mentor teachers-even
amidst a semester of drastic learning pivots and uncertain
teaching circumstances. In the end, the constructed digital
math escape rooms provided all the S-L participants with
evidence that both the process and product of this project
were effective for interdisciplinary application of math
and creative writing-even in a digital learning space.
Lauren E. Burrow, Ed.D.
Associate Professor, Education Studies
Stephen F. Austin State University
Laurenburrowedd@yahoo.com
Reference:
Among Us. (2021, June 25). In Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Among_Us
Bullmaster-Day, M.L. (n.d.) Productive struggle for deeper
learning [White paper]. Triumph Learning.
https://www.academia.edu/22763598/Productive_
Struggle_for_Deeper_Learning
Eddy, C.M., Pratt, S.S., and Martinez, M. (2020). " Breaking
the routine in mathematics. " Texas
Mathematics Teacher, 66(1), pp. 38-40.
Giannattasio, M. (2021, April 09). 7 benefits of using
classroom escape room challenges. The
Collaborative Class. https://thecollaborativeclass.
com/7-benefits-of-using-classroom-escape-room
challenges/
Institute for Learning and Teaching. (2007). CSU service
learning faculty manual (4th ed.).
Colorado State University.
National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993,
H.R.2010, 103rd Congress (1993).
https://www.congress.gov/bill/103rd-congress/
house-bill/2010
Papert, S. (1993). The children's machine: Rethinking
school in the age of the computer.
Basic Books.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society. London: Harvard
University Press.
10 | Fall/Winter 2022
Texas Mathematics Teacher

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Among_Us https://www.academia.edu/22763598/Productive_Struggle_for_Deeper_Learning https://www.academia.edu/22763598/Productive_Struggle_for_Deeper_Learning https://thecollaborativeclass.com/7-benefits-of-using-classroom-escape-room-challenges/ https://thecollaborativeclass.com/7-benefits-of-using-classroom-escape-room-challenges/ https://thecollaborativeclass.com/7-benefits-of-using-classroom-escape-room-challenges/ https://www.congress.gov/bill/103rd-congress/house-bill/2010 https://www.congress.gov/bill/103rd-congress/house-bill/2010

Texas Mathematics Teacher Fall/Winter 2022

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