VR for ESD

In interdisciplinary cooperation with the Zentrum für wissenschaftliche Bildung und Lehre (ZBL), the Naturerlebniszentrum Rhön and teacher training departments of Biology, Geography and German, our Chair has been working on the project "VR for ESD" since summer term 2022. This involves the development of virtual reality learning environments with a focus on sustainability goals and global learning, whereby the potential of VR with regard to the acquisition of sustainability-specific skills and successful ESD learning processes is discussed and analysed.

Frames of reference are the following:

Oxfam (1997/ 2015): Curriculum for Global Citizenship

UNESCO (2015): Model of Global Citizenship Education

Council of Europe (2018): Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture

OECD (2018): Global Competence Framework

The TEFL Chair’s focus is on fully immersive learning environments for intercultural encounters in foreign language teaching. To this end, a seminar concept was developed for advanced students in the teacher training. There, the participants gain insights into

- the current state of research in intercultural and transcultural teaching and learning

- research in modern foreign languages

- acquire skills in using VR in theory and practice sessions.

The aim is to develop teaching concepts in VR for upper secondary schools that focus on the development of inter- and transcultural competences with a focus on education for sustainable development against the background of racism-critical foreign language teaching. This is accompanied by surveys that provide insights into how the VR environment works and its potential for the developed teaching-learning scenarios.