Brain Games: Five Simple Brain Teasers to Use in Classrooms
Posted: Wednesday, July 20, 2011
by Austin Tye
Brain teasers serve dual purposes in the classroom. Not only can they break the ice by making the classroom experience more fun, but they also actually help to improve brain performance. Research has shown that brain teasers and other brain games effectively exercise the brain. According to a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, entitled "Long-term Effects of Cognitive Training on Everyday Functional Outcomes in Older Adults," the effect of brain games on the brain is similar to the effect physical exercise has on the body, helping to build strength and stamina and preventing or slowing down decline.
On the lighter side, brain teasers are a great way to start any class since they help relax the students and contribute to building camaraderie between the students and teacher. They can be particularly beneficial in online education, since the classrooms are virtual and the students and teacher do not see each other. Brain teasers can definitely spark discussion, creating a comfort zone that will later translate into more animated discussions about the class content. Online education relies heavily on written discussion between the students and the teachers. It allows for higher level discussion questions to be tackled, but for this to happen, students need to be comfortable in the setting, and alert and fresh for the discussion. Brain teasers help prepare students for these discussions by warming up their minds with quick challenges.
There are many different types of brain games. Following are five easy brain teasers that can be used in any classroom, both online and traditional, to help students begin exercising their brains.
• Riddles. These short phrases or poems pose questions that force the students to think before answering, since the answers are usually not obvious. There are some classic riddles that have been around a long time, and there are more complicated, newer riddles that require the thinker to complete a few steps before answering the question.
• Crossword puzzles. Crosswords puzzles can be about anything and the teacher can even customize them to fit class content. There are programs available online that teachers can use to create crossword puzzles and print them or have the students complete online. This last option is a great fit for online classes.
• Cryptography. With these teasers, students have to decode a short message. They need to complete two steps to succeed. First, they need to figure out what method of encoding was used. Second, they need to decode the actual message.
• Optical illusions. These teasers present the students with images that can be misleading and must be studied carefully before the students can decide what they are really looking at.
• Mystery Brain Teasers. To solve these teasers, students have to read a short story and follow the clues in it.
American Intercontinental University
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