Exploring the Future of Place-Based Learning: Virtual Worlds in Education

Outline

1. Introduction: The Power of Place-Based Learning
-Content: Introduction to place-based learning (PBL) concepts and how virtual worlds enhance engagement, inquiry, and student agency.
-Engagement: Brief overview, followed by asking participants to reflect on their current use of real-world context in lessons.
-Activity: Interactive poll using audience devices to gauge familiarity with PBL and virtual environments.
-Time: 10 minutes
2. Exploring Zoe: A Virtual World-Building Tool
-Content: Overview of Zoe’s features and how it simplifies the design and deployment of immersive learning environments.
-Engagement: Live demo of creating a virtual world in Zoe, showcasing simple yet powerful tools for educators.
-Activity: Participants explore a pre-built virtual environment and are asked to share their thoughts
-Time: 15 minutes
3. Practical Examples of Place-Based Learning Using Zoe
-Content: Examples of immersive learning activities, such as arranging cars in a virtual parking lot (math lesson) or designing an interactive "choose your own adventure" (language arts).
-Engagement: Participants work in small groups to brainstorm how they could apply Zoe in their subjects.
-Activity: Peer-to-peer interaction with shared brainstorming and feedback sessions using digital collaboration tools
-Time: 20 minutes
4. Designing Your Own Virtual World
-Content: Step-by-step guidance on creating a simple virtual world using Zoe, integrating place-based learning elements.
-Engagement: Participants follow along to create their own virtual environment based on a provided prompt or their own curriculum.
-Activity: Device-based creation using Zoe, followed by peer sharing of initial designs for feedback.
-Time: 25 minutes
5. Reflection and Next Steps
-Content: Reflection on the session’s content and how virtual worlds can transform the classroom. Discussion of next steps for implementing PBL in various subjects.
-Engagement: Facilitated discussion on challenges and strategies for bringing virtual place-based learning into classrooms.
-Activity: Participants share their goals for using Zoe in their teaching via a digital exit ticket.
-Time: 10 minutes

Supporting research

What?

Place-based learning connects education to local environments and real-world experiences, fostering inquiry, engagement, and relevance while promoting student agency and equity.

While it’s not always feasible to physically take students to different places, easy-to-use virtual world-building apps like Zoe make designing and deploying place-based education more accessible to all learners.

Every community and environment has its own unique ethos, ecosystem, and set of assets and challenges. By connecting young learners to these places and immersing them in various communities—whether local or global—we empower them in ways that align with the foundational goals of education: agency, equity, inquiry, and engagement.

An example of unlocking the power of place-based learning in math is by having students explore length, width, area, and perimeter through arranging cars in a virtual parking lot. Instead of solving abstract problems on a flat 2D worksheet, students can actively engage in determining how many cars will fit, calculating the required space, and optimizing the layout in a realistic scenario.

Why?

Teachers who integrate this approach will find that it offers a powerful way to create meaningful and relevant learning experiences. And with the ability to design virtual worlds, making this type of learning accessible has never been easier.

Take Aways
This professional development session will explore how Zoe can be used to design powerful place-based learning environments that promote engagement, agency, and inquiry, offering educators the tools to create immersive and meaningful learning experiences for students.Educators will walk away with a renewed sense of purpose and a clear pathway for taking students on relevant journeys that unlock deeper learning across all academic subjects.

Understand the Core Concepts of Place-Based Learning: Teachers will explore the principles of place-based learning and how it fosters student engagement, agency, and inquiry across various subjects.
Apply Place-Based Learning to Academic Subjects: Educators will discover how to integrate real-world relevance into core academic areas like math, science, and language arts through virtual environments.
Learn to Design Virtual Learning Environments Using Zoe: Teachers will gain hands-on experience with the Zoe app, learning how to create and deploy immersive virtual worlds that align with place-based learning strategies.
Develop a Plan for Implementing Virtual Place-Based Learning: By the end of the session, teachers will leave with a clear plan for incorporating virtual world-building into their curriculum, tailored to their students’ needs and interests.
Educators will reflect on the effectiveness of these new approaches, by discussing how virtual, place-based learning environments can deepen understanding across various subjects and improve student outcomes. Case studies will be shared related to current research on place-based learning and how learning in contextually relevant environments compares to traditional environments.

Introduction: The Power of Place-Based Learning
Content: Introduction to place-based learning (PBL) concepts and how virtual worlds enhance engagement, inquiry, and student agency.
Engagement: Brief overview, followed by asking participants to reflect on their current use of real-world context in lessons.
Activity: Interactive poll using audience devices to gauge familiarity with PBL and virtual environments.
Time: 20 minutes
2. Exploring Zoe: A Virtual World-Building Tool
Content: Overview of Zoe’s features and how it simplifies the design and deployment of immersive learning environments.
3. Practical Examples of Place-Based Learning Using Zoe
Content: Examples of immersive learning activities, such as arranging cars in a virtual parking lot (math lesson) or designing an interactive "choose your own adventure" (language arts).
Engagement: Participants work in small groups to brainstorm how they could apply Zoe in their subjects.
Activity: Peer-to-peer interaction with shared brainstorming and feedback sessions using digital collaboration tools
Time: 20 minutes
5. Reflection and Next Steps
Content: Reflection on the session’s content and how virtual worlds can transform the classroom. Discussion of next steps for implementing PBL in various subjects.
Engagement: Facilitated discussion on challenges and strategies for bringing virtual place-based learning into classrooms.
Activity: Participants share their goals for using Zoe in their teaching via a digital exit ticket.
Time: 10 minutes
Books and Research

Books

1. How People Learn by Nick Shackleton-Jones
Nick Shackleton-Jones presents the Affective Context Model, which emphasizes that emotions drive learning more effectively than traditional cognitive approaches. He advocates for instructional designs that focus on creating emotional connections rather than just delivering content.
2. Design for How People Learn by Julie Dirksen
This book offers practical guidance on improving learning experiences, focusing on understanding learning challenges, motivation, and the importance of practice and feedback. It's targeted at instructional designers and educators.
3. Learning in 3D by Karl Kapp
Karl Kapp explores the benefits of virtual reality in learning, arguing that immersive 3D environments enhance engagement and retention. He discusses the design and application of VR in training and education.
4. Experience on Demand by Jeremy Bailenson
Jeremy Bailenson examines the capabilities and ethical considerations of virtual reality, discussing its potential to create impactful experiences for training, education, and empathy development.
5. Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds by Margaret Kerrison
Margaret Kerrison discusses the craft of creating immersive narratives in environments where audiences can live through the story, using examples from theme parks and exhibitions to illustrate techniques that engage and connect deeply with people.
6. Engaging Learning: Designing e-Learning Simulation Games by Clark Quinn
This book offers a comprehensive approach to creating immersive learning experiences by leveraging the principles of game design. The book emphasizes that the elements making an experience engaging—such as contextualized challenges, active manipulation, and appropriate feedback—are also the ones that make learning effective.
7. "The Power of Place: Authentic Learning Through Place-Based Education" by Tom Vander Ark, Emily Liebtag, and Nate McClennen guides educators on incorporating place-based education by integrating local communities and environments into the classroom. It outlines six principles, including embedding learning everywhere and connecting local learning to global contexts. This highlights the power of VR's potential to take students anywhere in the world, extending learning beyond physical boundaries and enriching their understanding.