Bader Intermediate School

Based in Māngere, Auckland, Bader Intermediate is a middle school that has long embraced a student-centred approach to learning. Prioritising individual growth and development, the school has small tutor groups to provide personalised support and students have the opportunity to learn alongside peers and teachers from diverse backgrounds.

Bader ‘empowers innovative education’ by designing its curriculum around six themes: Technology, The Sciences, English, PE & Health, The Arts and Mathematics. Developing broad technological design skills is a key focus in Technology, and students are given access to cutting-edge solutions to bring their ideas to life. ClassVR is the latest addition to Bader’s suite of modern equipment and has fast become the perfect platform to teach students to become creators instead of consumers.

FROM CONSUMPTION TO CREATION

“We visited EduTech in Melbourne to find a VR solution for education,” says Brent Julius, Technology Head of Department at Bader Intermediate. “There was no shortage of AR and VR on off er, but after lots of demonstrations, it was clear that ClassVR was the only solution designed specifi cally for education – which made it the best choice for us.”

With a strong focus on the ‘design process’, Bader wanted a VR solution that would not just boost learning experiences through immersive opportunities. Instead, Bader wanted to empower its students to consume curriculum-aligned content and create their own VR content. With the support of Principal Jerry Leaupepe and the school’s Board of Trustees, Bader realized this curriculum vision with ClassVR.

Milly Murphy, a school Dean and Media Design Lead, managed the implementation of ClassVR and is pioneering its use with learners. “Our aim was to enable students and staff to ‘consume’ information using VR, and then use the learning to ‘design and create’ their own products,” she explains. “ClassVR is ideal for this as it comes with thousands of curriculum-aligned resources and allows the uploading of your own AR or VR content.”

Like many schools around the world, Bader uses CoSpaces to help teach coding and facilitate students’ STEM development. ClassVR has a tight integration with CoSpaces, which has been a game changer for Bader: “Students are more regularly living in virtual spaces. Being able to create our own VR content, then test and explore it in ClassVR, has been phenomenal,” explains Brent.

“Students are using ClassVR to create animated stories, design rollercoasters and build parkour games. ClassVR has really opened up the learning potential with technology, giving students the tools that make the impossible, possible!”

After an initial investment in 16 ClassVR headsets, Bader’s VR strategy has focused on the Media Design specialist classroom. Used alongside Photoshop, laser cutting, 3D printers and other cutting-edge technologies, ClassVR is helping students to develop advanced technological skills and building confidence to create their own content.

“Our vision is to teach students these skills in the specialist class, then take those understandings to apply in the core subjects,” says Brent. “We’re already experimenting how to use them in literacy to enhance students’ descriptive writing.”

SUPPORTING SEND STUDENTS

ClassVR has also made a positive impact on the learning experience for SEND students. Two students at the extreme end of autism often refuse to go into other classes, but in Media Design their attendance is high, and they are both fully engaged throughout the entire session. Viewing their own CoSpaces content through ClassVR headsets gives them an opportunity to participate in class activities alongside their peers in a safe environment.

“My key focus is to help our students explore, discover, and master their talents and creativity,” explains Milly. “The ClassVR headsets and design processes we use have had a profound effect on our neuro-diverse learners, in particular their increased levels of engagement.”

A VISION FOR THE FUTURE

Bader knows their ClassVR journey has only just started but is already looking to the future. One vision is to use the AR merge cube, enabling students to view 3D objects via the headsets and then examine them further with their own hands using the cube.

Milly is particularly excited to see how the school can push the boundaries of what can be achieved with the technology: “We are blown away by our progress in such a short space of time. Next step is for us to engage with the additional professional development that’s available locally. We know that ClassVR has so many more capabilities and we’re excited to explore and use these to empower our students even further. ClassVR offers so many benefits to all our learners, which is why our aim is to bring the technology into all curriculum areas.”