Virtual Reality in Curriculum and Pedagogy Evidence from Secondary Classrooms Digital Games, Simulations, and Play in Learning Series

Virtual Reality in Curriculum and Pedagogy explores the instructional, ethical, practical, and technical issues related to the integration of immersive virtual reality (VR) in school classrooms. The book?s original pedagogical framework is informed by qualitative and quantitative data collected from the first-ever study to embed immersive VR in secondary school science, ICT, and drama classrooms. Students and scholars of technology-enhancing learning, curriculum design, and teacher education alike will find key pedagogical insights into leveraging the unique properties of VR for authentic, metacognitive, and creative learning.

1. Introduction: From the germ of an idea to a gem of an idea (or how this book came about) 2. A brief history of virtual reality and a review of research on its use in schools 3. The pedagogy of immersive virtual reality 4. The methodology of the VR School Study 5. The ‘nuts and bolts’ of embedding immersive virtual reality in classrooms 6. 'It makes you actually interact with the things you are learning about': Secondary school science through immersive virtual reality 7. 'Bring what’s going on in your mind to life!': Using immersive virtual reality in the drama classroom 8. Schooling virtual futures: What we need to know and do to ensure powerful learning through immersive virtual reality

Erica Southgate is Associate Professor of Emerging Technologies for Education in the School of Education at the University of Newcastle, Australia, and Lead Researcher of the VR School Research Project.