The Hazard Hunter Game
I love learning. For me, working on a project and figuring things out as I go along is the best way for me to really understand how something works. My latest project, The Hazard Hunter, is exactly this.
I attended a Gamification Level 1 class any the end of the summer and was immediately hooked. I have been creating training games and activities for about 20 years but had never gone deep into the principles of gamification. After completing my first Level 1 project, "Jack and Jill Go Into a Tank" (a game to learn confined space entry procedures) and getting great feedback, I enrolled in the much more intensive Level 2 class which took place over several months. My final Level 2 project, which has just been submitted, is called Hazard Hunter and is designed to be used alongside training in hazard recognition and corrective action.
Hazard Hunter appears to be a simple board game but through my gamification class, I learned (and had to incorporate in my project) about various game mechanics, learner personas, "Easter eggs", the importance of "surprise and delight" (which admittedly is not very easy with safety training) and many more things that go into an effective workplace game. Having to work through and apply all of these things in a learning project was key to me understanding it.
As I talked about in my last post, I hope to learn 20 new things this year and I will be trying to learn these through projects whenever possible. Project-based learning is not only key to getting a deep understanding of new ideas and principles but also very effective in a safety training setting. Having a project, which can be a game or other activity, in which the trainees can learn about the concepts and procedures in a real way, will be much more effective and increase retention of the information.
How can you add project-based learning to your personal learning plan and to your safety training program? I'd love to hear your ideas.
PS - The Hazard Hunter game is currently being play-tested by about a dozen S&H pros but will be available soon for anyone who is interested in checking it out.
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