Virtual reality Education & Game based Achievements in classrooms Erasmus Project

Project Title

Virtual reality Education & Game based Achievements in classrooms

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Pedagogy and didactics; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

To mobilize students’ interest and engagement in school activities is one of the main challenges that all teachers share irrespective of country, education level, and the subject they teach. We address this challenge by promoting teaching based on computer games (Game-based learning – GBL) as well as Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality applications (VR/AR). They have the potential to facilitate the learning process in a way that respects the students’ cognitive, social, and cultural backgrounds while addressing the curriculum standards that they need to attain.

This project explores the pedagogy of play and at the same time, for the student, meaningful learning using the affordances of digital games and VR/AR applications across the curriculum of teaching maths, physics, biology, chemistry, IT, foreign languages, civics and art in primary, secondary and upper secondary schools.

The project aims primarily at promoting GBL and VR/AR use in school as a way to enhance the curriculum with motivating and meaningful content for students.

To achieve this, there are several intermediate steps to take:
– Research in the field of computer games and VR/AR applications for educational use.
– Training the core group of teachers developing and implementing scenarios
– Proposing accessible and flexible digital games and VR/AR applications for schools.
– Developing teaching scenarios for integrating them into the school curriculum.
– Piloting them with school teachers and students.
– Developing the publication containing all these elements.
– Disseminating the publication to leverage its wider impact.

The main target groups are the teachers from the partner countries. The students of these teachers are indirect beneficiaries – the adoption of new teaching methods will impact their motivation, creativity, problem-solving, and learning outcomes.

The main project output is the publication, which 4 parts are meant to be a practical guide for teachers willing to enter the field of these particular technologies and their use in classes:

1. Research report and introduction to the pedagogy of play
Gathering the results of our research conducted in the field of computer games and VR/AR apps in comparison with school curricula in several European countries during the first months of the project. The findings will be presented in a short and consistent form to give teachers a general picture of the situation current for the moment. We will also explain the principles of the pedagogy that values digital games and virtual apps as powerful tools for learning.

2. Teaching scenarios of GBL
Presenting the use of digital games across the curriculum, developed for primary, secondary, and upper secondary schools. They will be task and problem-centered, covering the whole process of teaching the specific theme – from the introduction, through the usage of the concrete game, to the summary and students’ feedback. They will be tested through pilot activities and thus improved and featured with practical hints for the followers.

3. Teaching scenarios of VR/AR
Designed according to the same structure, methodology, and target as the previous one, but in focus on VR and AR apps. An important additional element of this part will be activities involving students in creating their own VR environments thanks to the usage of 360 cameras and dedicated software.

4. Resources and tools
This chapter provides ideas on where to find concrete resources and tools for the classroom in games technology for educational purposes, VR/AR for schools, directories of educational games, and VR/AR apps facilitating searching for relevant products and external tutorials on teaching with games and VR/AR apps.

The main project outcomes and impact:

New opportunities for the professional development of school teachers: improvement of their teaching practice through practical acquaintance with the pedagogy of play, enrichment of their classes with cross-curricular themes and use of digital media, creation of more inclusive learning environment, a better understanding of young people’s learning lives in the digital age leading to better relations with students.

Better engagement in learning and better mastery of the chosen curriculum subjects for school students as well as more positive attitudes to school as an opening to their interests and peer culture as well as European projects supporting such learning.

Benefits from innovative teaching approaches for the partner organizations: fostering better student engagement in learning, including learners with different abilities, talents, and disadvantages, more effective use of digital tech in schools, reinforced capacity for European cooperation, and best practice exchanges.

And finally – input to the educational reform debate, strengthened argumentation for interdisciplinary learning paths across the curriculum and use of digital media for learning in the virtual space extending beyond the traditional classroo

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 293369 Eur

Project Coordinator

Smedsby-Böle skola & Country: FI

Project Partners

• Dalvíkurskóli
• Centrum Edukacyjne EST
• Associació Educativa i Cultural Blue Beehive
• SYNTHESIS CENTER FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION LIMITED
• Teachergaming LLC