Schools around the country have been bringing the International Space Station, volcanoes and even dinosaurs into the classroom with the help of virtual reality. Google’s Expeditions Pioneer Programme complements the curriculum and involves a very simple kit consisting of a mobile phone and cardboard headset, with 360 degree views of around 400 destinations.
Pupils at Bengeworth C of E Academy in Evesham experienced the Great Wall of China and the Ancient Egyptian Pyramids, with one pupil excitedly branding her experience as “breathtaking”. Over in Enfield, pupils at St Mary’s and St John’s School took a trip inside the human body to tie in their learning of the digestive system and also went back to the age of the dinosaurs. Other schools have explored the Geography side of the destinations, such as the Amazon Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef for pupils of Long Eaton School and a volcanic eruption for pupils of Tower View Primary School in Burton.
The Expeditions Pioneer Programme is currently visiting schools across the UK. If you’d like the programme to visit your school, you can sign up here, although there are very limited places.
Virtual reality has allowed pupils to experience places that they would never otherwise be able to reach. However, it is crucial not to forget the invaluableness of real life experiences outside the classroom too, as Head Teacher David Coaché of Bengeworth C of E Academy stated: “The elements of trips are the interactions, collaboration between children, relationships that develop with the staff”. Instead, he sees virtual reality as a way of “bringing things to life in the classroom and making it immersive”. HandsamSchoolTripsAdvisor has a wealth of trip ideas and venues for getting pupils outside into the real life world!
