Breaking Bad Behaviors: A New Tool for Learning Classroom Management Using Virtual Reality

Abstract

This article presents an immersive virtual reality (VR) system for training classroom management skills, with a specific focus on learning to manage disruptive student behavior in face-to-face, one-to-many teaching scenarios. The core of the system is a real-time 3D virtual simulation of a classroom populated by twenty-four semi-autonomous virtual students. The system has been designed as a companion tool for classroom management seminars in a syllabus for primary and secondary school teachers. This will allow lecturers to link theory with practice using the medium of VR. The system is therefore designed for two users: a trainee teacher and an instructor supervising the training session. The teacher is immersed in a real-time 3D simulation of a classroom by means of a head-mounted display and headphone. The instructor operates a graphical desktop console, which renders a view of the class and the teacher whose avatar movements are captured by a marker less tracking system. This console includes a 2D graphics menu with convenient behavior and feedback control mechanisms to provide human-guided training sessions. The system is built using low-cost consumer hardware and software. Its architecture and technical design are described in detail. A first evaluation confirms its conformance to critical usability requirements (i.e., safety and comfort, believability, simplicity, acceptability, extensibility, affordability, and mobility). Our initial results are promising and constitute the necessary first step toward a possible investigation of the efficiency and effectiveness of such a system in terms of learning outcomes and experience.

Using Virtual Reality to promote pre-service teachers’ classroom management skills and teacher resilience: A qualitative evaluation

“…The VRexperience was followed by a semi-structured interview. Questions were partially based on the work of Lugrin et al (2016) and tapped into participants' overall impressions, simulation/user experiences, possible drawbacks, and opportunities or potentials of using VR to support pre-service teachers' development of CMS and resilience.…”

“…In the period between December 2018 and April 2019, we invited two groups of users to test the classroom management VR-learning environment (Lugrin et al, 2016) and participate in a follow-up interview. The first group consisted of four pre-service teachers (one man, three women) as the goal was to evaluate their perceptions towards and experiences with a VRlearning environment to promote CMS and teacher resilience.…”

“…The first evaluation of the developed VR-environment seems promising in terms of essential usability requirements, the effect of feedback cues, and technology acceptance (Lugrin et al, 2016). However, little is known of how pre-service teachers actually perceive and experience such a VR-learning environment in terms of its potential as an in-training opportunity for developing their CMS.…”

Learning to teach with digital media

“…Ein vergleichbar konfiguriertes Virtual-Reality-Projekt namens «Breaking Bad Behaviors» existiert auch an der Universität Würzburg (Lugrin et al 2016). Basierend auf einem Prä-Post-Test zur Erfassung der Classroom-Management-Kompetenzen von Studierenden vor und nach dem Besuch einer betreffenden Lehrveranstaltung berichten Lugrin et al (2018), dass der Kompetenzzuwachs bei Studierenden in der virtuellen Umgebung signifikant grösser ausfiel als bei einer Vergleichsgruppe, die mit Unterrichtsvideos arbeitete.…”

Inferring a User's Intent on Joining or Passing by Social Groups

“…Embodied, computer-controlled and anthropomorphic virtual agents (VAs) in virtual reality (VR) function primarily as interaction partners for users (e.g., [22]) and as background characters enlivening the virtual scenarios (e.g., [38]). To this end, VAs in a shared space require an interactive capacity allowing them to be autonomous, intelligent, conversational, and life-like.…”