Ideacenter
VR-real experience in safe conditions
VR simulation of a teacher's conversation with a student's parent
Training VR simulation of a teacher’s conversation with a student’s parent by Dr. Krzysztof Piotrowski, Agnieszka Sokołowska, Dr. Joanna Jadach and Dr. hab. Joanna Łukasik, is covered by the Creative Commons 4.0 free use license (CC BY 4.0).
The training is intended for users:
● academic lecturers
● In-Service Teacher Training Center lecturers.
The training is aimed at:
– students of pedagogical faculties
– participants of courses conducted at In-Service Teacher Training Center lecturers.
The problem we are solving.
Currently, lecturers mainly use lectures and acting out scenes. During interviews with lecturers, we learned about their perspective, which shows that: role-playing sometimes generates difficult situations, not every group can do it effectively, students get distracted, laugh or overreact during role-plays, they say it’s artificial. In interviews, students said that: the scenes do not reflect the real behavior of parents, they know that their interlocutors are people from the peer group and not parents. Students would like to see how a teacher deals with a parent in a real situation.
Solution
We conducted interviews with academic teachers of pedagogical faculties, students of these faculties, as well as with parents of primary school students and primary school teachers. On this basis, complete material for conducting classes was created, which is consistent with the Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 2019 (Announcement of the Minister of Science of 2024). This material can also be used for teacher education.
As part of our program, the lecturer/educator receives:
• Class program
• Detailed outline of the classes (3 x 90 min.)
• Instructions for working with VR goggles (pdf with illustrations and links to detailed tutorials)
• Four pills of knowledge related to the topic
• Work cards and knowledge tests to be used during classes.
During the classes, the learner uses VR goggles, which include:
• Two VR applications (a total of 40 minutes of exercises)
• 6 meeting histories illustrated with 27 VR films.
Content of the training:
• Preparation for a conversation with the student’s parent (own expectations and anticipating the parent’s expectations, conversation plan, checklist)
• Emotions in communication (role, control, mirroring)
• I statements vs You statements
●Assumptions of assertive communication
●FUO communication model
●Cognitive attribution errors
●Paraphrasing and clarification
●Types of communication attitudes (offensive, defensive, passive, cooperative)
Exercises in VR goggles
The learner has the opportunity to participate in six stories. Each time he plays the role of a teacher who meets with his student’s parent.
Three meetings are initiated by the teacher, they are an opportunity to practice: reflecting the parent’s emotions and formulating FUO messages that are supposed to lead to cooperation. View from the VR application:
The next three meetings are initiated by parents. The training participant’s task is to recognize the parent’s communication attitude and then influence its change or maintenance (if the parent is cooperative). View from the VR application:
The value of exercising in VR goggles is the ability to test your various reactions and see how they will affect the course of the meeting. However, the most important benefit for participants is the realistic experience of meeting a parent during a difficult conversation. This is an experience unattainable using any other teaching tools.
Expert reviews of the training:
Dr hab. Anna Kalarus, prof. AMKP, Head of the Department of Musical and Educational Research, Academy of Music. Krzysztof Penderecki in Krakow: “Theoretical preparation in the form of knowledge in a nutshell, consolidated with the help of excellent tools, such as tests, is an introduction to practical, innovative solutions. The culmination is a simulation of a meeting with a parent thanks to the use of VR technology. A person participating in the virtual meeting can analyze the parent’s behavior and, guided by previously acquired knowledge, can also choose the answer, created by the authors. The student/teacher can compare the parent’s behavior, which changes depending on the solution used. In reality, we cannot experience such a situation. Full of admiration for the creators, I definitely recommend this program, which will certainly contribute to increasing the competences of future and current teachers.”
Ph.D. Anna Sajdak-Burska, prof. Jagiellonian University, Head of the Department of School Pedagogy and Academic Didactics, Institute of Pedagogy, Faculty of Philosophy of the Jagiellonian University, Director of the Ars Docendi Center for Didactic Improvement: “The “VR simulation of conversations with a student’s parent” program is a highly valuable and comprehensive educational tool. Thanks to the use of VR, participants not only learn about, but above all experience real school situations, which promotes deeper learning and developing soft skills. It is a modern, methodically thought-out teaching tool that uniquely combines the potential of virtual reality (VR) technology with thorough theoretical preparation and pedagogical reflection. It offers a coherent and comprehensive teaching structure thanks to which teachers can develop key interpersonal communication competences necessary in a controlled environment. I definitely recommend this program as innovative and effective support in the education and professional development of teachers, which can really contribute to building partnership-based and trust-based relationships with students’ parents.”
Urszula Grygier, certified teacher, many years of methodological advisor, appraiser for the approval of textbooks for school use, coordinator for process support for schools and kindergartens at the Psychological and Pedagogical Counseling Center No. 2 in Krakow, WCAG expert at Centre for Education Development: “The reviewed program is an innovative and valuable didactic proposal addressed to students of pedagogical faculties and active teachers. Its well-thought-out structure allows the trainers to flexibly respond to the participants’ needs, identified both before and during the classes. The substantive content includes key issues in the area of communication, important for teachers due to the specific nature of their work, which requires frequent and sometimes difficult contacts with various participants of the educational process. The acquired knowledge and developed communication competences enable a deep understanding of educational needs and practical support in developing these skills. The program is fully consistent with the guidelines of the Ministry of National Education regarding teacher education, which makes it a valuable teaching tool also from the formal and legal point of view.”
Dr. Witold Ligęza, Head of the Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Institute of Psychology, UKEN in Krakow: “To sum up, the program VR Simulation of a conversation between a teacher and a student’s parent” is an example of a modern approach to teacher education. It combines innovation with a high substantive level and effective teaching strategies. It is an excellent response to the needs of contemporary higher education and teacher training and can contribute to improving the quality of communication and teacher-parent relationships. I strongly recommend implementing the program in institutions educating future teachers and its further development and popularization. With compliments to the creators of the program.”
You can download materials here:
VR films – 1st application
VR films – 2nd application
Teaching materials