Thakur International School Cambridge’s Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Centre inaugurated by Anand Kumar of Super30 fame
Mumbai: Show, don’t tell – that’s the best way to enable lifelong learning for a child and that’s the fundamental tenet at the heart of the new educational approach at play at the Thakur International School Cambridge in Mumbai. The school has inaugurated the suburbs first-ever AR / VR experience centre as part of its learning and education program. This is applicable across all classes (from Class I onwards) and the entire chapters of Maths and a Science subject. Integrating virtual and augmented reality applications as learning techniques could significantly improve engagement and knowledge retention levels for students.
Inaugurated by renowned mathematician and educationist Anand Kumar (best-known for his Super 30 program), the school’s new AR / VR experience centre begins operations from August 13 at its Kandivali campus.
Karishmma V Mangal, Director and Trustee, Thakur International School Cambridge championed the use of immersive technology in school room teaching. “The use of AR / VR experience centre brings students closer to concepts, living them and learning them through all of their senses, rather than traditionally passive formats of learning. This layer of practical knowledge is what they will take along with them in life, as they face the future that is powered by technology.”
Congratulating the move, Anand Kumar likened the approach to his own Super 30 program, where he used multimedia tools to explain complex concepts to his students.”Ïn my classroom, I use multimedia slides to make a little story, with characters to explain maths concepts”.
The best advantage of using immersive technologies in the classroom is the sheer, unparalleled way in which it can make students engaged and involved in all lessons. This is not about playing videos in the classroom. It is about using sounds, visuals, natural habitats, terrain when talking about geography, biology, etc. or even factsheets when explaining trade during the ancient civilisation. The school can also use this cutting-edge technology to explain mathematical concepts like trigonometry and algebra that are elucidated better with scaling and dimensions.
The school believes this learning experience will give their students a cutting edge in the competitive world as well. “Experiential learning gives our students the wings they need to reach their dreams and visions for the future. We hope that this effort gives them both the perspective and prospect of conquering the future” Karishmma added.