Critical thinking, communication, creativity, and problem-solving skills are all at the top of the 21st Century Skills list that Instructor Natalie McCutchen gave to the class on the first day of Breakout Games. It is safe to say students in her class had a blast learning how to put these skills and more to work. The first few days, campers learned about breakout games and the digital platforms, how to design and plan a game through thoughtful brainstorming exercises, to work with teams to craft a game and assign game tasks, and finally to complete a game to be given to their fellow classmates.
The last class was competition day with all the students in class playing each other’s games. Themes were quite creative and varied, including names like McDonald’s, Robot Friend, Summer Pool Party, Video Game Escape, and Melanie Martinez. After each game was played, McCutchen would say, “What are two things the team did well and what is one area to improve.” Students offered respectful feedback, and after all games were played, voted for the best game in each class. They wrapped up their week by processing all they had learned and what takeaways will help them in the future.