Ysgol Bryn Teg (Student Age 3-11)
Ysgol Bryn Teg, a primary school in Llanelli, Wales has been engaging their students and building empathy with ClassVR for the past year.
We spoke with Richard Knight, a teacher at Ysgol Bryn Teg, about why they’ve implemented virtual reality into their teaching, how they’ve been integrating it during the pandemic and the impact it’s had on their students.
Powerful Virtual Field Trips
The teachers at Ysgol Bryn Teg introduced virtual reality to open up exciting and engaging learning experiences for their students. Many of the students at the primary school have had limited opportunities to experience other countries and cultures, especially during the pandemic. So, using VR, the teachers decided to bring these new experiences into the classroom and to the students!
"We wanted to give the children experiences they aren’t going to have access to at the moment because of the pandemic, or opportunities that might be out of reach anyway. We haven’t been able to go on many school trips recently, so providing them with new and exciting experiences without needing to travel was a priority."
Using VR in a COVID Safe Environment
With the pandemic forcing changes in education and everyday school life, teachers have additional considerations to make when using technology in the classroom. To ensure their VR lessons could be delivered simply and safely, the teachers at Ysgol Bryn Teg put systems in place from day one.
"I thought it was important that with Covid, we set up a booking system for the classes. So, we organised an online booking calendar that our teachers could use to book the headsets in advance. That way there’s no confusion and we can make sure they’re all wiped down and cleaned after every use."
Building Empathy Among Students
Schools are always looking for ways to build empathy among their students, and virtual reality is an effective tool to help support this. By transporting students into new experiences and putting them into the shoes of new people, the teachers at Ysgol Bryn Teg have added further context to the content of their teaching – helping build empathy in their students.
"Our theme this half term is sportswear design. We’ve looked at different sports stadiums in VR which brought up some good discussion – in particular with the London Olympic stadium. The students compared the Olympics and Paralympics using the VR headsets, and then talked about the similarities and differences between the two. It created some really good dialogue and helped build empathy. It’s been such a powerful tool."
What Do Ysgol Bryn Teg Think of ClassVR?
When asked for a final comment on ClassVR, Richard Knight, teacher at Ysgol Bryn Teg, answered:
"ClassVR has allowed us to provide further opportunities for our pupils, letting them experience a wide range of high-quality interactive resources. Our staff have been mapping out many exciting opportunities to incorporate the VR headsets into our new curriculum. So much so we’ve purchased another set!"
