Enhancing Learning Using Classroom Games and Exercises

Abstract

The measure of quality in the classroom is how much students learn, and students learn more when they are engaged with the material being taught. This article discusses the use of classroom games, exercises, and simulations to motivate learning, to provide a common experience that can provide a unifying theme for a course, and to illustrate complex or abstract concepts.A simulation of a production process, Paper Puppets, is described as an example of an experiential learning exercise that can promote student learning about observation, data collection, data analysis, process analysis, and the behavioral implications of processes. Data collected during the simulation are analyzed through the use of the seven basic quality tools. Preparation for the simulation, the mechanics of the classroom experience, and the classroom debriefing discussion are presented in detail.