In 1946, American educator Edgar Dale came up with the notion that humans only remember roughly 10 percent of what they read, but nearly 90 percent of what they experience. Whether or not these numbers are scientifically accurate, it is safe to say that at the very least, engagement increases significantly with interaction. Attempting to engage middle school students in their own learning can be a big challenge for some teachers. Luckily, companies such as Meta and Prisms have come up with a groundbreaking solution to the traditional classroom blues with two letters … V.R.
Thanks to an amazing partnership with the Educational Service Center of Lake Erie West, Springfield Middle School had the opportunity to bring virtual reality headsets into the classroom setting. Last week, a group of seventh grade students piloted a virtual math curriculum that allowed them to experience previously learned topics while being immersed in real world situations. From being a bullettrain conductor in Japan, to predicting the weather, to rearranging furniture in an apartment, the curriculum had a variety of interesting grade level topics related to everyday math. Feedback received from the students included phrases such as “this is awesome,” “can we do this everyday?” and “I loved every second of it.” Math in the virtual world was a definite crowd pleaser.
From a teaching standpoint, one of the biggest “ahha” moments while utilizing the VR headsets was the lack of student questions. In the traditional classroom, it is very common to have multiple student hands up at one time with questions about the material being learned. While using the VR headsets, students were much more willing and able to use trial and error to persevere through the difficult problems independently. Student engagement throughout the lesson was unmatched; everyone was all in for the full 50 minutes. The focus and interest while using the VR headsets was an educator’s dream. From start to finish, it was obvious that the students were excited about using the headsets in school, and they were eager to do the math and get to the next level within the activity. Virtual lessons are a win-win for both teachers and students. This is the future of learning.
