Elevate student voice and choice through Breakout EDU
Make every student a hero in their learning story
Student-centered learning is a powerful tool. At Breakout EDU, we develop games that put students at the forefront of their educational experience, fostering a love of learning that extends far beyond the walls of a traditional classroom.
With Breakout EDU, student voice and choice is amplified, creating a more engaging and effective learning environment for all. When students have agency over their learning experiences, they become more self-directed learners. They become empowered to explore their interests and feel that their ideas and opinions are respected. In fact, schools that prioritize student agency as part of their culture have found that students receive better grades and there are reduced rates of chronic absenteeism.
Breakout EDU aligns with student-centered learning by offering a library of engaging, experience-driven games that quickly transform classrooms into escape rooms. Students work together to crack codes, solve puzzles, and complete challenges, all while tapping into content knowledge. Games can even be customized by teachers to meet each student where they are academically and appeal to what their interests are.
Breakout EDU is student-centered learning
With a large and growing library of standards-aligned digital and physical games, Breakout EDU offers educators a variety of experiences that allow their students to work together, think conceptually, and activate their prior knowledge for deeper comprehension.
Each Breakout EDU game has a captivating storyline that sets the stage for a dynamic learning adventure. Throughout each game, students encounter locks at varied levels of difficulty that require them to think critically, apply content knowledge, and collaborate to find solutions in order to unlock them and progress through the game. This game design allows students to actively participate in their education.
We believe education should be an experience - and one that goes far beyond memorization and regurgitation of facts. Our games are designed to engage students with meaningful, problem-solving tasks that require content knowledge, social-emotional skills, time-management, and decision-making. With gamified instruction, students are challenged to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information rather than provide a predetermined answer.
Playing Breakout EDU games set classrooms up for robust discussion and reflection on the game experience, ultimately helping students develop insights into their own approaches while also learning from their peers. With games for all ages, grades, and content areas, Breakout EDU has something for everyone.
Empowering student voice
Gamified instructional experiences encourage students to take ownership of their learning. The need to actively participate in discussions, brainstorm solutions, and explain their thought processes are intrinsic to this instructional style.
Breakout EDU games are carefully designed to address key social-emotional skills such as teamwork, empathy, perseverance, and problem-solving. Students are challenged to clearly communicate their ideas, thoughts, and findings to their teammates. They learn to listen actively, respect perspectives different from their own, and articulate (and defend) their own ideas. This fosters understanding, compassion, and the ability to navigate social interactions both inside and outside the classroom.
Working together, students must think critically, approach challenges from different angles, and develop effective strategies for overcoming obstacles. Rather than answering multiple-choice questions with binary right-wrong responses, students must combine their unique skills and collective knowledge to overcome challenges.
Breakout EDU helps students develop essential life skills to serve them well beyond the classroom walls. During a Breakout EDU experience, students have the opportunity to step into a leadership role. By embracing the chance to become natural leaders, students will naturally begin to guide their team members, delegate tasks, and keep one another motivated to finish.
Fostering student choice
Breakout EDU offers a variety of ready-to-play games that cater to varied student learning preferences, interests, and abilities. Teachers can tailor any Breakout EDU experience to the specific needs of their unique student population by assigning numerous games for students to choose from or letting students design their own games. And with a variety of ways to successfully open locks within games, students are encouraged to consider problems from different angles and try multiple solutions until they find the correct one.
With the Teacher Dashboard, teachers are able to assign games to students individually, as small groups, or to the whole class. When games are assigned, they appear on each student’s to-do list when logged in. Teachers can ask that all students work together on the same game, assign small groups within a class different games based on ability, or let individuals choose a game from a pre-selected set to play independently for self-directed learning.
For teachers who enjoy creating learning experiences, our unique Game Design Studio is intuitive and simple-to-use. We offer self-paced Learn and Play courses to guide students, and even educators, through the process of game design.
Integrating Breakout EDU into the curriculum
Breakout EDU games can fit seamlessly into any content area or meld with any curriculum. Class time quickly becomes an opportunity for students to embark on historical adventures and unravel mysteries from ancient civilizations or decipher codes used by wartime spies. Or they can transform into forensic scientists by analyzing evidence to solve a crime - they can even become codebreakers by leveraging their math skills by solving logic puzzles. The sky's the limit with Breakout EDU!
Customizing games is a fun and easy way to add some flare that students will love. When games are customized or designed by educators on Breakout EDU, it’s important to maintain alignment with state standards to continue driving learning towards expected outcomes. Here are some starting tips from our expert game design team:
Ensure the game’s challenges are connected to specific learning objectives
Provide clear and concise instructions to students at the beginning of games
Incorporate a variety of puzzles that cater to different learning preferences and abilities
Consider the age and ability level of students when adapting the difficulty level
Set clear time limits for games to maintain a sense of urgency and excitement
There is no need for games to take an entire class period or require a large time investment. With our Lock of the Day teachers of all grades and content areas can start class with an engaging bellringer, offer a mid lesson brain break, end class with a fun exit ticket, or even serve as an activity for students who finish sooner than others. Whether it's math, historical mysteries, or digital science experiments, Lock of the Day brings subject matter to life, making it relatable and memorable for students.
Don’t just take our word for it!
Breakout EDU is proud to have helped hundreds of thousands of teachers and countless students on their educational journeys. Our games have been used by teachers around the world to create a more engaging and student-centered environment.
“I love how Breakout EDU transforms students who often struggle into achievers and leaders. We call it secret-learning - having fun without realizing all the authentic learning!” - Danielle Jackson, District Technology Integration /specialist at Plattsburgh School District
“We love that students need to use critical thinking to determine how to open locks. We love that students use their communication skills to share their thinking.” - Maggie Miller, District Library Media Coordinator at Oshkosh Area School District
“At Texas School for the Deaf, we love Breakout EDU because the puzzles challenge students’ to think critically and work collaboratively. The added flexibility of being able to make a copy of a game and modify it helps ensure we are able to meet the needs of all our students.” - Joey Vaughn, Curriculum Specialist at Texas School for the Deaf
By amplifying student voice and choice, Breakout EDU fosters a love of learning. Students are able to take ownership fo their education by developing critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills that will continue to serve them well throughout their lives.
Breakout EDU offers a vast library of standards-aligned physical and digital games, a game design studio for creation and customization, and the easy-to-use Lock of the Day to keep students engaged and learning. With these resources, teachers are free to create dynamic learning experiences that put students at the center-stage of their learning.