VR in the classroom

The web and advertising agency Interpunkt supported a virtual reality experiment by a student. For her master's thesis at the Bern University of Teacher Education, she investigated the possibility of teaching foreign languages at lower secondary level with the help of virtual reality.

Virtual reality enables new ways in the learning process of abstract and elusive topics. Realistic virtual representations provide the necessary visual explanations and thus support learning success.

Whether this also applies in school lessons for learning foreign languages was examined by student Rachel Koller as part of her Master's thesis. "Virtual reality enables almost authentic interactions with the environment. I investigated whether this type of learning and the handling of the glasses can be integrated into traditional school lessons," says Koller.

The web and advertising agency Interpunkt supported the student with eight Oculus Go VR goggles. The interest in the test results was not unfounded, especially since Interpunkt already programmed VR applications for training purposes for learners and fire brigades. "Following this project provides us as an agency with exciting insights that we can incorporate into the development and programming of future VR applications," says Fabian Koch, Managing Director of Interpunkt.

Unambiguous: VR supports language learning

Pupils from the mixed secondary class in year 7 and 8 from Unterseen took part in the experiment. By interacting with the voice app on the VR glasses, the class trained their pronunciation and expanded their vocabulary. Koller's conclusion after six lessons was clear: "The Oculus Go glasses have a pleasant size and can be optimally integrated into the lessons for concrete sequences. The pupils had fun."

In addition to the fun factor, the tests also show learning progress among the young people, according to the press release. Koller attributes these successes to the combination of visual and oral interactions in authentic situations. The student is convinced that virtual reality provides convincing arguments for its targeted integration into school lessons.

Migros, by the way, has been doing this for a long time: Like our Report shows, the Club School has been offering language lessons with VR since last year.

Source: Personal