NET Scheme News 2024 Summer issue 46

TheVR Cave is a virtual reality spacewhichhas projection screens all around to create an immersive virtual environment. In one of the lessons, our students were immersed in 360° videos.With a first-person perspective, they ‘visited and explored inside’ Hong Kong’s coffin homes and sub-divided flats,as if theywere the volunteers themselves. In the virtual space, by ‘walking through’ the narrow corridors and tiny sleeping ‘boxes’ of these coffin homes and sub-divided flats, our students witnessed how minuscule, deficient and hopeless the residents’ living conditions are. By using the Thinking Routine ‘See, Think, Me, We’, students were guided to describe what they saw, express what they thought as well as connect the topic with themselves and the community at large. At the end, using another Thinking Routine ‘I used to think… Now I think…’, students compared their initial and final impressions of living in Hong Kong. Some of them commented that “they knew that living in Hong Kong isn’t easy, but they hadn’t known how truly grim the reality is for some of its citizens.” In their writing task (a speech about a volunteering experience), a student wondered: “how can someone stand living in these conditions?” while another student expressed that “as a member of the community, we can play an important role by volunteering and helping those in need.” As we see here, not only have our students gained knowledge and experience, but more importantly, they have fostered sympathy towards the people in need. Jaison Fung Chee Hin, English Language Teacher Lok Sin Tong Leung Kau Kui College By emulating an ‘authentic’ learning space via the VR Cave and invoking thoughtful discussions via Thinking Routines, we were able to bring the world to our students and provide them with ‘firsthand’ experience to build upon. These showed the growth from timid and clueless to engaged, curious and active students. From that, we can proudly say that these ‘seeds’ have started to sprout beautifully. Someday, with the experiences that our students have gained, we are sure that they will flower and spread their pollen to inspire more good changes in the society. Mr Jaison Fung (top) and Ms Luana Hasell (officer from the NET Section) challenged students’ standpoints by using Thinking Routines. 3D art representation of the coffin homes and sub-divided flats recreated by students A mini student art exhibition entitled ‘Living? In Hong Kong’ Students giving a speech about their ‘volunteering experience’at the coffin homes and sub-divided flats 11 NET Scheme News Issue 46