USING OF VIRTUAL REALITY TOOLS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF STEAM EDUCATION IN GENERAL SECONDARY EDUCATION

• Published in: Information technologies and learning tools 2021-01, Vol.86 (6), p.87-105
• Main Authors: Soroko, Nataliia V., Soroko, Volodymyr M., Mukasheva, Manargul, Ariza Montes, Mª Matilde, Tkachenko, Vitalii A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Augmented reality; Education; Learning; Modernization; School environment; Secondary schools; Skills; STEAM education; STEAM-oriented approach; STEAM-oriented educational environment; Students; Teachers; Teaching; Virtual reality; Young adults
• ISSN: 2076-8184; 2076-8184
• DOI: 10.33407/itlt.v86i6.4749

The article researches the use of virtual reality to support STEAM education in general secondary school. To study the impact of STEAM education, the authors proposed a teaching project for the secondary school about convex mirrors and their importance for special visibility and human safety, where the interviewed teachers were able to learn about a real example of the implementation of STEAM education for teaching their disciplines. The purpose of the article is to analyze the meanings and approaches to the use of virtual reality by teachers for organizing the STEAM-oriented learning environment and to identify the basic requirements to VR for supporting the implementation and development of STEAM education. One of the main trends of education modernization is STEAM education, which involves the integration of the natural sciences, the technological sciences, engineering, mathematics and art in the learning process, in particular, at general secondary schools. In light of the findings, researchers indicate that electronic educational resources (including VR & AR) are not only teaching tools for teachers but also a source of inspiration for students, which motivates and stimulates creative thinking. This is an important point considering that creativity is increasingly an important life skill that can help young people cope with the difficulties and uncertainties in their future careers in the fields of STEAM. Prospects for further research are seen in the creation of a model for assessing student performance in STEAM projects. The authors are planning to take into account the differences and features of the use of virtual reality for learning STEAM in schools in different countries, including Ukraine, Spain and Kazakhstan, when creating a multilevel model of STEAM-oriented learning environment using virtual reality tools. The purpose of the model is to evaluate not only the results of tests taken by students after learning this material but also their personal contribution to the final project product, their leadership skills, creative ideas and suggestions, abilities and skills in using ICT and VR in project research. In our next publications, we will focus on several Spanish and Kazakhstani secondary schools to detect the possible differences found in the use of virtual reality to support STEAM education in Ukrainian schools.