BIOLOGY - Digestive System (Student Age 9-10)
"This was the learners first lesson in their Science topic – The digestive system. ClassVR helped to stir curiosity around the subject and assisted learners in identifying the different parts of the digestive system, understanding their specific functions, and knowing how the human digestive system operates, from digestion to egestion."
Milyscent Mweyeri
Grade 4 Class Teacher
PRACTICAL SESSION
During the lesson, learners were taken on a 360–degree virtual tour of the digestive system using the ClassVR headsets. The video clip was uploaded to the My Cloud section on the ClassVR portal and pushed to the ClassVR headsets, where learners got to view different parts of the system and understand their functions.
The VR tour provided the opportunity for learners to visualise what they learnt in theory, all from the classroom. For example, learners were able to watch the process of bile (a yellowish-brown fluid) being produced by the liver and associating this with the fact bile aids the digestions of lipids in the small intestine. They were also able to visualise how hydrochloric acid and enzymes (called proteases) break down proteins into smaller chains of amino acids, and then, how amino acids are released into the bloodstream, transported to various cells throughout the body to repair tissue and build muscle.
The learners were very curious to learn more and asked lots of questions about the structure of the digestive system.
IMPACT ON LEARNING
The VR experience formed the end of the topic, allowing learners to experience what they had learnt theoretically and associate the science terminology to the processes they were witnessing. From the lesson, learners showed a particular interest in the small intestine asking lots of further questions, which the subject teacher was able to create a more extensive lesson plan around, aligned and tailored to the questions asked. The learners were amazed and enlightened to experience the flow of food, from the mouth to the stomach, to the small intestine via the ClassVR headsets – the learners even wanted to see more of the human body.
