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How VR & AR Transforms Learning Across Subjects ​ 

Research has shown that experiential learning – learning by doing – can have a positive impact on students’ interest, motivation and engagement in the classroom. 

The development of innovative educational technology has enabled teachers to deliver experiential learning opportunities across a range of subjects at an unprecedented scale and pace in recent years. 

At the forefront of this digital revolution are Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), which, thanks to their combination of immersive and interactive features, can have a transformative effect on student outcomes. 

If you are considering how to introduce VR/AR into your classroom, this blog will explore the limitless potential of VR/AR to offer experiential learning opportunities and give you some ideas as to how you can leverage the technology to deliver exciting and impactful lessons across different subjects. 

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VR/AR - A Fast Growing Cross-Curricular Tool

Every day in schools across the world, lessons are being transformed by VR/AR. For example, more than 40,000+ classrooms worldwide utilise ClassVR to deliver immersive learning. One study predicts that more than 40% of K-12 schools in the US alone will incorporate VR/AR technologies to some extent this year.  

And it’s no surprise, as it has been shown that the use of VR/AR in the classroom can improve student engagement and learning outcomes, as well as having cognitive and behavioural benefits

One of the factors that makes VR/AR an invaluable classroom resource for teachers is its ability to support learning across a diverse range of subject areas. Teachers across all grades can find practical applications for VR/AR in their subjects, with rich, engaging content that can bring any subject to life and inspire their students’ imaginations. 

When you speak to teachers who have used VR/AR in their subjects, you find them enthused about the impact it has had on their students and inspired by the possibilities it presents. 

At St Mark’s Anglican Community School in Perth, Australia, VR/AR is used both inside and outside of the classroom. Kelly Curran, the school’s Head of Digital Learning, says it was instantly apparent how VR/AR could be a benefit across subjects. “Right before my eyes I could see exciting and multimodal experiences that would ultimately increase student engagement,” she says.  

VR’s flexibility for cross-curricular use has proven a valuable benefit for St Mark’s. “Without exception, VR can be used in every subject throughout the school,” says Kelly. “French. Mandarin. History. Science. We can use AR or VR content as a stimulus in any lesson, then create class quizzes about what is viewed.” 

Visualising Complex Concepts in Science Through VR/AR

Using VR/AR in a science lesson can help students visualise complex concepts, from examining the smallest animal cell to visiting the largest planetary body, allowing them to interact with and understand the various elements of each. 

In biology, you can use AR in the classroom to allow students to hold 3D models of a plant cell and human heart in the palm of their hand. It’s one thing for a student to see an illustration of DNA on a page or even a screen but having a detailed 3D image of a DNA molecule rotating in front of their eyes makes for a much more captivating lesson. 

Teachers at Colegio Escolapios Soria in Spain have been creating some incredible science lessons with VR. “You can bring the world into the classroom,” says teacher Rubén Blanco Briongos. “For example, using a computer I could show you a picture of a volcano on a flat screen. Or with VR, I can show you a 3D model of a volcano that you can hold in your hands, or a 360-degree image that completely immerses you. It’s just so engaging.” 

Let’s say you’re delivering a lesson on the solar system. Imagine being able to take your students where only a small group of men have gone before and have them explore the surface of the moon. You could watch a video of the moon landings, but with the VR Lunar Lander resource, students can follow the likes of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in taking one small step onto the surface of our closest astrological neighbour. After the lander touches down, a 360-degree video gives a lifelike impression of how the surface of the Moon might look from a first-person perspective. 

In Jeong Elementary, South Korea, teacher Man Choi Oh took his students on a field trip to the moon using ClassVR. “I was able to provide an immersive experience of the Earth and Moon, which helped the students to experience and understand the astronauts’ feelings,” he says. “ClassVR’s incredible controls make it possible to conduct lessons and make the class more enriching.” 

Bringing the Past to Life Through VR/AR

How to Best Use Your Set of Eight ClassVR Headsets

History is a good illustration of an academic subject that can be enlivened through experiential learning. Visiting a historic battlefield or seeing a suit of armour up close can provide students with a greater insight into a period of history than simply reading about it. 

With VR/AR, students don’t even have to leave the classroom to have those kinds of experiences as the past can be brought to life right in front of their eyes. From touring famous landmarks through 360 images and videos to exploring recreated scenes of different time periods and cultures, the potential for VR/AR in history lessons is unlimited. 

You might be delivering a topic on ancient Rome, for example. With the VR Life in Ancient Rome resource, your students can be transported to the city of Rome in the 1st Century CE as the Roman Empire is expanding across Europe and the Mediterranean region. There, they can see how the people of the ancient world’s largest empire lived out their daily lives during this tumultuous period.  

Then with AR, the students can see 3D recreations of Roman objects up close, from household items like a ceramic vase to weapons such as a gladius (sword) or a scutum (shield). 

At Stanberry R-II School in Missouri, USA, students were studying one of the first major battles of the Second World War, the Battle of Britain. Using VR, they were able to analyse some of the vehicles used in the conflict up close, describing what they saw. This was followed by a class discussion on how the vehicles shown differed from each other and how their features helped these vehicles in battle. 

Teacher Jeffrey Maronde says: “Having the ability to see the vehicles of war with the headsets, they had a better understanding of what these looked like and how they were used in war. This provoked discussion of why they were designed that way and how they changed warfare during WWII. This provided a first-hand learning approach for the students.” 

Immersing Students in Fictional Worlds with VR/AR

Barry Island Primary School

When it comes to teaching literature, some students struggle to engage with the reading material being studied. Techniques like immersive storytelling can enhance the experience, capturing students’ attention and helping them connect with the content. VR/AR is a powerful tool for delivering immersive storytelling in the classroom, enabling students to step into the narrative of their books and experience the story and characters in a unique way. 

Charles’ Dickens classic novel Great Expectations, which tells the story of orphan boy Pip, has a cast of colourful characters and contains several strong themes that weave throughout the narrative. But the story was written more 150 years ago, and some students can find the text daunting. 

The Great Expectations VR resource can help bring Pip’s story to life in the classroom. It lets students delve deeper into the novel and explore some of the locations that had a significant impact on Pip’s moral, social, and educational improvement and the decisions made as a result. By giving students, the opportunity to experience this Dickensian setting first-hand, teachers can equip them with the tools they need to better analyse and comprehend the text. 

VR/AR can also be used to enhance descriptive writing by immersing students in virtual settings, allowing them to see, hear and explore a place to inspire their stories. Interactive features can then help students to test their knowledge of spelling and grammar, for example placing the apostrophe in the right place.  

At Southborough CE Primary School in Tunbridge Wells, England, teachers are delivering immersive reading and writing with VR/AR, creating unforgettable learning experiences. 

Neve Hinton, the school's Discovery Centre Coordinator, explains: “We had classes using VR while they were doing writing activities on winter forests. It helped inspire imaginations as some of the class had never experienced a winter forest before, but then they could in VR.” 

The Powerful Potential of VR/AR

As we have seen, VR/AR is a powerful tool for education with the potential to enhance learning across subject areas and provide those invaluable experiential learning opportunities that engage and motivate students. 

From the humanities to the sciences, from mathematics to art, VR/AR can bring key curriculum topics to life, complementing traditional teaching techniques. 

To explore our extensive, ever-expanding library of curriculum-aligned VR/AR content for all ages, visit our Eduverse page

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What would you like to see next in our ClassVR content and resources repository?

We love to hear feedback from schools all over the world, so if you have any suggestions of resources you would like to use or lessons you want to teach, just drop our Educational Services team an email at: community@classvr.com