ESCAPE Puzzles: Bringing Physics to Fruition Through Classroom-Based Making

Abstract

Often, in secondary science classrooms, hands-on learning engages students in projects that are 1) conceived of by the teacher and 2) deconstructed at the end of class so that future students can use materials. These factors create a lack of ownership and engagement for students. Maker technologies create opportunities to disrupt the narrative around who can engage in STEM as well as typical classroom teacher-student discourse. In this paper, we examine the experiences of 57 AP physics students engaged in designing and constructing their own physics-based ESCAPE puzzles, inspired by the popular escape room activity games. Findings indicate that these projects had particular meaning to students because of the 1) physical manifestation of their ability to bring an idea of their own creation to fruition and 2) the permanence and usability of the final project, as illustrated when students shared their puzzles with others in the class.