Hosted by , contributed by Kyriaki_Vakkou on 13 December 2022
A huge gap exists between learning materials and teaching practice to help create connections to real life and make students more engaged in learning. In a typical school, most of the knowledge presented to students is purely theoretical and the teaching materials do not provide enough opportunities for hands-on engagement that can motivate students and increase their interest in the subject.
in a Bulgarian school, equipping two labs with specific digital equipment as part of a larger STEM initiative was the needed connection element that helped students feel more confident and engaged in what they are doing. One of the labs was VR related and helped teachers better illustrate and students better understand the nature of elements, and the physical and chemical processes and to gain the feeling that they are participating in the learning process. The other lab was devoted to robotics and programming and helped students program, test, and optimize their codes in real time, which encouraged them to be more engaged and concentrated on what they were doing.
An increase in students’ interest in the new technologies was observed, as well as an enhancement of their motivation and engagement during the lessons. Hence, the students can long-term improve their performance, sustain their motivation and develop an interest in related careers.