What is it about?
The article is about using a fun, interactive escape room activity that combines both physical and digital elements to help future teachers learn programming. The idea is to make learning programming less intimidating and more engaging by turning it into a game-like experience. The escape room challenges involve coding tasks and problem-solving, which helps these teachers build confidence and motivation in programming. This approach aims to prepare them better to teach programming concepts in the future.
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Why is it important?
This approach is important because programming can be challenging and intimidating, especially for future teachers who may not have a strong background in it. By making learning more engaging and interactive through escape rooms, the article aims to boost their motivation and confidence. This, in turn, is crucial because these pre-service teachers will be responsible for teaching programming skills to their students in the future. If they feel confident and motivated, they are more likely to teach programming effectively, helping to address the growing need for digital skills in education and preparing students better for a technology-driven world.
Perspectives
The article takes the perspective that traditional programming education can feel too abstract or daunting for those not naturally inclined toward technology—like many future teachers. By reimagining programming education through the “escape room” concept, the authors emphasize a shift from traditional lectures to hands-on, playful learning, which can help break down barriers to understanding complex concepts. This perspective also highlights the importance of experiential learning: when pre-service teachers experience an engaging, game-like approach to programming, they not only learn the material better themselves but also see firsthand how they might use similar methods to teach their own students. The approach acknowledges that building motivation and confidence is as essential as learning technical skills, particularly in teacher training, where attitudes toward a subject can significantly impact future generations of students.
Prof. Dr. Oriol Borrás-Gené
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A Hybrid Escape Room to Foster Motivation and Programming Education for Pre-Service Teachers, International Journal of Game-Based Learning, May 2024, IGI Global,
DOI: 10.4018/ijgbl.343525.
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