Okay educators, do you recall learning about Gardiner’s multiple intelligences? One of those intelligences is spatial intelligence. Opportunities to solve spatial problems through virtual gaming supports spatial awareness! The ability to navigate and manipulate 3D models with their varying environments, perspectives, and details is a way to increase this intelligence while offering an innovative means to learn content that may otherwise become white noise in a traditional classroom.
In reading about immersive VR and ELL students, VR
promotes the visual experience of learning and removes the stress of the
language learning process. “By including immersive VR, the teacher would be
keeping the language demands low while increasing the cognitive load”
(Craddock, 2018, p. 8). An additional point made in this article is that immersive
VR is inquiry based, which promotes science knowledge. In 3D Virtual
Models for an Early Education Serious Gaming Application, Anastasiou et al.
shares an innovative design to instruction through virtual gaming. When it
comes to virtual activities, the design of the game is important to consider. Some
games have minimal instruction because they are more heavily created to be
problem-solving games (such as that of the described immersive VR in Craddock’s
article). These may not be best fit for our early language learners. Though the
ability to effectively problem solve is a skill that should develop over time,
a lack of instruction or guidance can deter students from the game. When choosing
a virtual game in this genre, the teacher should support the beginning of the
game with modeling or easy-to-follow steps. “Learning is a complex activity
that needs several gradual steps, that have to be supported by various tools… and
generally have to be guided usually by the teacher, in order to be useful for
the learner and not cause acquisition of misconceptions or of incomplete/disorganized
knowledge” (Anastasiou et al., 2020, p. 4).
The article goes on to explain the
steps taken to create a 3D game for preschoolers in which they would interact
with their actual school and its outdoor surroundings, all through a 3D virtual
gaming experience. The process was quite involved, as it required 28 setups of
laser scanners around and within the school premises. Each setup had to overlap
the last to ensure the accuracy of the virtual footage. In the end, the data created
a virtual game through the Leica Geosystems TruView Enterprise platform.
I learned a lot about how 3D realities are created
through this project, yet I am certain that much of what they did is still over
my head! Though I don’t feel ready to take on such a project, I can appreciate
the idea behind the 3D game. They chose to use the actual school for the game
because of its familiarity to the students, which makes it unique and engaging
to interact with one’s own school environment virtually. I can also appreciate
its alignment with the kindergarten learning goals, making it a serious game. There
are many exciting VR apps available, but not many are geared towards educating with
simple tasks and standards aligned goals. The activities described within this
game are age appropriate and super fun. They included finding the way to their
classroom and describing their movements to get there, a painting activity in
which they first had to collect their fallen crayons, a free play activity with
hyperlinks to games such as puzzle, stories, and musical instrument trivia.
This virtual game design sounds like it was very purposefully designed with the
intentions of meeting the needs of our youngest language learners. I encourage
you to check out this article to learn more about a fantastic model for 3D gaming!
Reference
Anastasiou, D., Avgeri,
T., Iliodromitis, A., Pagounis, V. & Tsakiri, M. (2020). 3d virtual models for an early education serious
gaming application. International Archives of
the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences., XLIV-4/W1-2020, 3-9
Craddock, I. M. (2018). Immersive Virtual Reality,
Google Expeditions, and English Language
Learning. Library Technology Reports, 54(4), 7 9. https://journals.ala.org/index.php/ltr/article/viewFile/6669/8958
This is such a neat idea! I think that this could be a great addition to the classroom. As I mentioned in my blog, the only downside to most of this is the time required to create it. However, once we create it, we could use it for multiple years if it continues to suit our students. Another downside is getting our students started can be a challenge. Some students are video game enthusiasts while some could not care less. Some students might fly through the game without understanding the reason they are playing it, or some students will not get started because they dont understand how to. As long as we model the expectations for this type of activity, it should have major benefits.
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Hi Julie, I have thought of multiple intelligences several times throughout this class. I am a very visual learner and I have been reminded of how many children benefit from this type of learning, as well. One thing that I appreciate about something like VR is that students can take from it what they are ready for. In other words, even if your ELL doesn't necessarily understand all of the content, they can still feel as if they are involved in the activity.
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