Details about MORE INSTRUCTIONAL PUZZLES

What types of puzzles are included in this booklet?

This booklet explores five different puzzle formats that are specially suited for instructional relevance.

Cryptic Quote puzzles present a quotation in the form of a cryptogram. Your task is to decipher the message using a combination of knowledge of the subject-matter area and the logic of the English language.
List Processing puzzles present a list of items and three or four categories. Your task is to organize the items under the correct categories.
One Down puzzles are similar to crosswords. They present clues to words that will fill sets of horizontal boxes. When you solve the puzzle correctly, the letters in a vertical set of boxes provide the longer answer to a special clue.
Scrambled Graphics puzzles present a variation of jigsaw puzzles. Your task is to cut an incorrectly assembled jigsaw puzzle and reassemble the pieces to reveal a graphic.
Solitaire Bingo is a solitaire game. Your task is to get five correct answers in a row in a bingo grid.

This booklet contains everything you need to begin using instructional puzzles immediately:

Guidelines for when and how to use puzzles
Criteria for evaluating and modifying puzzles to increase their effectiveness
An experiential introduction to five different puzzle formats
Structured guidelines for the design and use of different instructional puzzle formats
Key features of each format
Sample instructional content for each format
Design strategy for each format
Sample puzzles
Hints for solving each puzzle
Answers

Enjoyment. Training sessions frequently tend to become dull and boring. Inserting instructional puzzles can make these sessions more enjoyable.
Energizing. Instructional puzzles jolt the participants from passive mindlessness to active participation.
Retention. By requiring the participants to recall and review the instructional content, puzzles strengthen the retention of the newly acquired knowledge.

Here are some of the ways in which you can use instructional puzzles:

Individual work. You can distribute puzzles to the participants during breaks and as homework assignments.
Delayed reviews. You can mail instructional puzzles a few days after the training session to encourage the participants to review what they have learned.
Partnership activities. You can use instructional puzzles to encourage mutual coaching among the participants. By providing different sets of hints to different participants, you can reinforce cooperative learning.
Team building. You can use instructional puzzles to provide a common challenge to the members of a team.
Computer-based training. You can incorporate instructional puzzles at appropriate points in a CBT lesson. You can use the computer to present the puzzles, accept the answers, and award scores.