COMPUTING & IT RESOURCES
For students who have used VR/AR previously, teachers can use the opportunity to help them take ownership and to introduce peer-led learning.
Crowlands Primary School in London used ClassVR to boost engagement across the school. Anthony Isaac, Crowlands’ Computing Coordinator, said that when the VR headsets were first introduced, the students instantly started talking to each other about what they had seen.
“Through language they were sharing their experiences, creating a fantastic buzz in the classroom,” he said.
“Not only does the technology immerse children in the topic, getting them to wonder, ask questions and become excited to learn more about it, from what we’ve seen at Crowlands, it manages to ignite a spark in those children who ordinarily wouldn’t get excited about that particular topic or subject.”
Supporting collaborative learning Another benefit of using VR/AR at the start of a new term is the social aspect. Over the long summer break, some students might have had limited or no interaction with their peers, which can lead to their social skills being diminished. Using VR/AR, students can work together in pairs or in groups and take it in turns to use the VR headset to explore virtual environments, for example. This can then be a vehicle for group discussion on what they saw, heard and felt. This not only encourages student-to-student interaction, but also student-to-teacher interaction, helping to develop communication, teamwork, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
For example, Race Leys Junior School in Warwickshire uses VR to develop students’ vocabulary and improve their descriptive skills. Using ClassVR, students explore new environments such as Egyptian pyramids or the
deep sea and are tasked to describe what they see to a partner, who then draws the scene. The school believes VR has helped to boost pupils’ performance, improve collaborative skills, and increase engagement.
Ensuring equity of education access Research shows that students from disadvantaged backgrounds are disproportionately affected by the long summer break. The learning loss is more pronounced among disadvantaged students, who often have less access to resources that facilitate learning outside the classroom. They are also less likely to have had other enriching cultural experiences during the summer break, such as summer camps, day trips or holidays. VR/AR can help to level the educational playing field by facilitating equity of access. Breaking down financial and geographical barriers, VR/ AR can give students access to experiences that might not otherwise be available to them. By removing physical barriers, all students can visit the same historical sites and events, as well as experience diverse cultures, countries, and environments.
Doing this in the first few weeks of a new term can have a significant impact on engaging those hard-to-reach groups of students.
Allfarthing Primary School in London has been using ClassVR to level the educational playing field and build cultural capital. Due to varied socio-economic statuses, some students have never travelled outside of London. Using ClassVR, teachers provide equal opportunities for all students to travel across the world, space, and time from the comfort of the classroom. Hannah Brien, Head of Computing and Class Teacher at Allfarthing Primary School, said: “One way we’ve used ClassVR is to introduce and finish topics in an engaging way. It can create a ‘wow’ moment at the start of a topic to get students really excited about the content.”
VR/AR has been the perfect tool to open access 34
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for all at Allfarthing, allowing students with no concept of different countries to visualise and experience what life is like in cultures across the world.
Virtual reality is also a pivotal tool for fostering inclusivity for SEND students. Virtual learning experiences can be tailored to meet individual sensory needs and learning styles, while aligning with curriculum content. By creating lived experiences as opposed to serving students with high levels of sequential information, VR/AR can help SEND students to develop central coherence and executive functioning skills.
What’s more, the simulation of real-world environments such as supermarkets and cafes can help to prepare SEND students for work experience placements or simply a social outing. In doing so, the technology helps to reduce anxiety and improve wellbeing. Conversely, VR/AR can be used to help neurotypical students better appreciate challenges which their neurodiverse peers may face in a school environment. In doing so, this builds greater understanding and empathy.
The growing use of VR/AR in UK education is delivering far-reaching benefits, not only for curriculum-led subjects and learning outcomes, but also for the softer skills and personal development that help everyone achieve their full potential. As a new term gets underway, teachers using VR/AR have a powerful tool to engage and motivate every student right from the start, whatever their socio-economic status or learning ability. VR/AR is helping to positively evolve the educational landscape as we know it - and the journey has only just started.
To learn more about ClassVR or to start your VR/ AR journey, download ‘50 creative ways to use ClassVR’ here: u
https://www.classvr.com/ downloads/50-creative-ways-to-use-classvr
October 2024
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