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Teaching Critical Thinking

Using Escape Rooms At Military College

We sat down for a chat with Major Rex Thomen to talk about how he uses escape rooms to explore critical thinking at Military College, which caused some unexpected surprises.

Q: Major Rex, Why Is Critical Thinking So Important To Modern Day Military Operations?

A: Our current theater of operations has no distinct front line or even a uniformed enemy. So every moment you are faced with a constant barrage of information where you must decide how you respond, and what level of lethality

How do you care for those citizens who are conducting the business of their lives while engaging an enemy whose focus is more terror oriented than engagement? Our leaders, especially those young men and women doing the work, must be able to be decisive, empathetic, and able to engage in ways that are not within any doctrine.

The ability to find solutions for any situation, think outside the box, and always consider the impact of decisions in the future, is key to their success. It is why I am spending much of my time teaching creative thinking in the classroom, then evaluating those students on their decision matrices in field training environments.

$29

Q: What Lateral Challenges Do Our Soldiers Tackle?

A: Foot patrol sounds uneventful.

It's not.

In fact, it's a recurring challenge that requires intense creative thinking.

For example, when you have an IED [makeshift bomb] or ambush, with many civilians around and spotty communication, you must simultaneously:

  • Care for the wounded.

  • Secure the area.

  • Be prepared for additional attacks.

  • Assist the local civilians that are in danger or injured.
Your response, as a young leader, affects not just your men but also the wider community.

"The game helped my students grasp concepts in creative thinking."

"Our Leaders Must Be Able To Engage In Ways That Are Not Within Any Doctrine"

Q: Why Do Escape Games Appeal As A Mode Of Exploring Critical Thinking?

A: I sought out escape rooms for several reasons; they are not tactically oriented, they are fun, and team building is essential to success. By not being a military tactical scenario, it frees them up to be more open in their solutions.

Critical thinking is taught at many levels, and in a variety of ways. I utilize many tactical decision exercises to have my students think of quick solutions. The threat is that my influence in the classroom, they may be more apt to seek solutions that they believe will please me. They may have instructor bias and not realize it.

Q: What Surprised You About How The Team Tackled The Escape Room?

A: The biggest surprise in conducting the escape room was the emergence of different leaders. These were the students who usually didn't take charge due to a lack of confidence in their military knowledge.

However, when playing the escape game they were a force, finding solutions from giant leaps in logic. Now I am constantly engaging them on what they see and what courses of action they see as viable.

Definitely found some leaders who can think outside the box.

Editors side note: kids tend to think outside the box by default. To see this in action, check out this moms story when she transformed her house into a kids birthday party escape room.

"The army needs agile, adaptive leaders, and this was a great exercise for them."

Q: Did Teamwork Develop Throughout The Escape Room Challenge?

A: Teamwork is everything.

We like to use a Field Leaders Reaction Course, when available, to build teamwork. The escape room worked the same way.

Some students who are natural leaders took a backseat to students who were able to think critically and make leaps in logic.

The biggest hindrance was laziness.

A few didn't want to even try. They had a hard time thinking quickly or working out the puzzles even when they had been solved. In the extreme, one student actually looked up the solutions guide (which was cheating by our rules). I realized this quickly and he became a casualty on the spot.

You Can Add That Same Wow To Your Classroom

In elementary school, teachers do fun first-day activities to bring people together. Whether your students are in year two or twenty years old there's always room to engage and inspire so why not grab the escape kit Major Rex used and add some wow to your classroom.

$29

Major Rex Thomen Is A Professor Of Military Science For Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC).

He's currently lecturing at Arkansas State University, Beebe, and Harding University.

Very special thanks to Major Rex T, and his class of future leaders, for sharing their creative thinking story.

Why not try an escape room in your classroom? Start by choosing a kit:

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Adults
Kids
Rebel revolt spy kit half
Rebel Revolt (Spy Mission)
Teen Thanksgiving parties (14+)
Treasonous spy mission to take down a government facility.
4+ Players
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FAVORITE
Envy escape room box half logo
Envy (Murder Mystery)
Adult Thanksgiving parties 
1920's Gatsby-style murder mystery of debaucherous luxury.
4+ Players
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Escape room z half
Escape Room Z (Zombies!)
Adult Thanksgiving parties
Comical zombie thriller with a deadly splash of infectious z-virus.
4+ Players
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Frost escape box half
Frost (Magical Quest)
Kids Thanksgiving parties
Can your kids help the magical forest Wisp in time?
Ages 8-12
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FAVORITE
Lost mummy kit half
Lost Mummy (Adventure!)
Kids Thanksgiving & school parties
Unearth Egypt's ancient secrets in the Lost Mummy.
Ages 10+
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Escape Quest half
Escape Quest (Time Travel)
Younger kids Thanksgiving parties
Fix the time machine using relics from across the ages.
Ages 6-9
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Woah.

Save massive $$ by grabbing a whole box of escape kits:
  • Kids escape room box
    KIDS BOX $49
    4x Escape Room Kits
    Lost Mummy
    Rebel Revolt
    Escape Quest
    Frost
    Bonus: Treasure Map Pack
    Show Me

    $49

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    HALLOWEEN BOX $49
    4x Escape Room Kits
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  • VIP escape kits tmb
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    All our Escape Room Kits (6x)
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    Skulls Card Game
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Kids escape room box
KIDS BOX $49
4x Escape Room Kits for
Lost Mummy
Rebel Revolt
Escape Quest
Frost
Bonus: Treasure Map Pack
Show Me

$49

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THANKSGIVING BOX $49
4x Escape Room Kits
Envy
Escape Room Z
Lost Mummy
Rebel Revolt
Bonus: Thanksgiving Party Pack
Bonus: 'Skulls' Card Game
Bonus: Treasure map pack
Show Me

$49

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VIP BOX $99
Our Biggest Box
All our escape kits (6x)
Envy, Lost Mummy,
Escape Room Z, Rebel Revolt, Escape Quest & Frost
VIP early access to games
5x kids edu-venture games
Valentine's, Halloween, Thanksgiving, & Christmas packs
Bonus: Treasure Map pack
Bonus: Skulls Card Game
Lifetime FREE copies of all future games. Boom!
Show Me

$99

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