Breakout EDU Spotlight: Peter Panico
Peter Panico
5th-grade teacher at Steele Creek Elementary Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools NC
What is your favorite thing about Breakout EDU?
My favorite thing about Breakout EDU is its unique educational experience. Having to solve educational puzzles using content knowledge and critical thinking in an immersive game is such a fantastic idea. Students need to be involved in their learning, and Breakout EDU does it best. When I first heard about Breakout EDU, I was blown away by how original and exciting it is. I knew I had to get a Breakout EDU Kit in my classroom as soon as possible.
My other favorite component is Breakout EDU’s encouragement to create your own games. It is not just a product to purchase and use, it is a way for teachers and students to be creative. From developing online games to developing the physical Kits, there is a community of support from staff and other educators to learn and share their creations for all students to enjoy learning.
What do your students say about Breakout EDU?
From my 25+ years of teaching experience, students learn best when they are fully engaged in the learning process. My students have learned more from project-based learning, science experiments, and STEM. Learning should not be a spectator sport, we learn best when we apply our knowledge to situations and tasks. Breakout EDU exemplifies that with its various puzzles and challenges.
I knew students were going to love the format and I was correct. Of all the instructional strategies and methods I utilize, Breakout EDU is the most requested by my students every year. They enjoy the challenge and the ability to collaborate as they move about the room solving the puzzles and celebrating as a team.
Instead of morning work, I have a Maker Morning where students create, explore, and collaborate on various opportunities and projects. A mainstay is Breakout EDU’s Lock of the Day. A favorite among students, they enjoy collaborating with one another and sharing their success with me and other classmates. It makes a great start to their educational day.
What SEL skills have been fostered as your students take part in Breakout EDU games?
Breakout EDU supports students in displaying responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and self-management. The Breakout EDU Kits help exemplify collaboration and critical thinking, which in turn can only be successful if you have that established in your classroom. Through group projects, discussions, and more, my class continuously works and supports each other. The physical Breakout EDU Kits, to me, are a cumulation and celebration of those expectations as students cannot break out if those do not exist.
What are you most interested in using Breakout EDU for at your school?
What interests me most about Breakout EDU is its many uses: maker mornings create an uplifting celebratory morning as they are excited to use Breakout EDU, working collaboratively as a team to open the physical Breakout EDU Kits, plus accumulating content knowledge in an interesting and interactive way.
Anything you’d like to share?
Breakout EDU compliments all classrooms and students. It is a great educational tool that myself and my students couldn’t learn without!