HUNTER students are participating in a "world first" trial of a virtual reality (VR) social and emotional learning program, which involves using headsets that transport them to other worlds where they encounter scenarios intended to develop - and spark conversations about - important life skills.
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About 40 Maitland Grossmann High students from years eight to ten are participating in a five-week trial of Australian company Curiious' interactive program WISE, which was developed with experts in education, psychology, VR and animation and designed to boost emotional fitness.
The students participate during periods they would usually be studying other subjects including science.
School relieving principal Joshua Gane said adolescence was already a time of "monumental change".
"Coming out of COVID and restrictions we've seen that students amongst our school - and throughout all schools - have faced enormous challenges," he said.
"Making sure they have the ability and coping skills and they are also able to enact particular strategies they can use to self regulate, control their emotions, make better decisions and manage their own feelings throughout these challenging times... is really important to us."
He said VR was a "reflection of the technology children are naturally exposed to in their everyday lives" and students had talked about the level of participation and agency it had allowed them.
Curiious' James MacDiarmid said the program was designed to "democratise everyday life skills that, up until recently with frontier technologies like virtual reality, tend to be off in closed doors, under a paywall that is a clinical psychology practice".
"These skills we've employed in this program are skills we haven't been taught unless you've gone and seen a clinical psychologist or you've gone and actually done clinical psychology or development psychology."
The students put on headsets and the teacher uses a device to start the program.
Students choose their own experiences and are led by a virtual guide through scenarios that explore concepts such as mindfulness.
The teacher can see what each student is seeing and can intervene if required.
Mr MacDiarmid said "virtual reality enables you to make the invisible visible".
"For example, rather than just say 'box breathing', within the virtual reality experience we can visualise, and indeed we are visualising. a box being drawn over a certain time period that enables us to better regulate our breath work."
He said the program was accompanied by other resources and students engaged in self reflection and applied what they learned to real world activities.
Helen Gregory
Helen Gregory joined the Newcastle Herald in 2010. She is the masthead’s education reporter and has written for the H2 and Weekender sections, as well as across a range of issues. Helen is a Walkley Award winning journalist and was also part of the Newcastle Herald team that won the United Nations World Environment Day Media Award for Environmental Reporting.
Helen Gregory joined the Newcastle Herald in 2010. She is the masthead’s education reporter and has written for the H2 and Weekender sections, as well as across a range of issues. Helen is a Walkley Award winning journalist and was also part of the Newcastle Herald team that won the United Nations World Environment Day Media Award for Environmental Reporting.
