This summer I pared with our fabulous Occupational Therapist, Ms. Amy Seymore (https://www.pegasustherapyot.com/ ) to run a therapeutic escape room camp at our school facilities. We will be presenting this fall at the annual OT conference, stay tuned for that update!
The details:
Our escape rooms are set up to be immersive role-playing activities meant to facilitate executive functioning, teach growth mindset, and develop leadership skills among our students. Students will be quarantined to one room and tasked with solving a variety of challenges which will eventually lead them to figure out the main mystery of the room, allowing them to “escape”. These escape rooms will be personalized in a way that professional rooms cannot to build the specific skill set our students need (response inhibition, emotional control, sustained attention, goal directed persistence, flexibility, planning and prioritization, working with a team towards a common goal). The students will be guided by the “game-masters” of Sorbi/Seymore to scaffold these skills in a fun and engaging environment. As their personal experience grows throughout the week with escape rooms, they will work together to develop their own themed room for adults or peers to complete.
The Benefits
Students must communicate, plan and prioritize to solve the room’s mystery and escape. Students learn the importance goal directed persistence, and develop problem solving skills. Students will learn the important steps in goal setting, as well as using resources for help (peers, and advocate for help from an adult). Lastly, students gain confidence by achieving small goals that lead to a larger payoff.
Team goals are essential when working in the escape room.
Students must work together and create three separate steps in their team goals:
1. First, students must prioritize the overall goal, then collaborate in planning what mini-mystery to complete first and so on.
2. Second, we find that often there is a conflict in looking at the overall goal and/or where to start or end. Students must revise their goals until they are working towards one common goal. Communication, flexibility, and emotional control are essential components of success.
3. Third, they must work together throughout the mini-mystery activities to achieve the overall goal of the escape room. Students are often timed in completing their escape rooms, so they have the added pressure of working against the clock- much like a timed test or classroom assignment.
Conflict resolution is built among as members of the team learn how to navigate their disagreements. We work towards active communication with our students, allowing them the space to ask for assistance when it is needed. A major part of conflict resolution is first learning how to talk to one another, and then learning when to ask for help from an outside person. Students are problem solving throughout the activities, and they have to keep a particular mindset in order to tackle problems swiftly and efficiently.
How these skills will help them during the school year
Students will be able to create short and long term goals for themselves within newfound planning and prioritization skills. Students will know when to ask for help and when to try and solve an issue on their own. Students will be able to practice their growth mindset, which helps them bounce back from conflicts. Time management will be taught.
Debriefing on the Rebel Revolt Escape Room set up
