The spaces we install allow schools to go to new worlds, expand learning through immersive experiences and support all aspects of the curriculum in a customisable way.
But the 4th dimension of 4D are the people who use the spaces long after we’ve packed up our toolboxes. It’s the people who make the spaces come alive using the tools we’ve given them of lights, sounds, projections and easy to use software.
Our collaboration with the Sat‘dy Allsorts at Z-arts in Manchester came to a close recently. We had a fantastic time working with the young people as they became content developers learning how to create their own immersive experiences. Read the first part of this journey here.
The content which the young people at Sat’dy Allsorts created was excellent, they’d really embraced the brief and had researched images online using filtered searches to find Creative Commons licensed photos and worked in groups to create some instrumental music to go with them. As the ‘IMMERSE’ project came to a close, we went back to the centre to see and hear the finished results and to show the parents what the young people had achieved.
Our portable immersive space, ‘4D Pop Up’ was set up and guests gathered inside as each group introduced their work and gave some information on how they had created the new immersive themes. There was a huge range of themes such as Underwater, Shakespeare, Electricity, Alliteration, Poverty, and Urban life that it made for a really varied event to share with the parents and public Some groups chose to perform their pieces of music live alongside the images and videos they had created whilst other groups had produced and recorded their tracks to play through the 4D Pop Up built in sound system.
All of the music that was created was of such a high quality it would fit into any 4D space and the images that were used in each theme really helped to tell a story – we could easily see how teachers could potentially base a lesson around the themes that were created.
The whole project has been a huge success and 4D creative have thoroughly enjoyed working with all the young people on the project over the 8 weeks. Massive thanks must go to Tosin and Saskia at Z-arts and all the young people for working with us to create a really valuable experience for the young musicians and content developers.
We’ve been hearing lots of great feedback on our recent installation at Willoughby School in Lincolnshire. We first met the school for pupils with a wide variety of additional needs in 2011. Since then, we’ve kept in touch with the always welcoming school as they have raised funds for their immersive space.
The new immersive space replaces the schools old sensory room and features large scale corner projection, LED lighting, surround sound and an interactive floor. The aim of the space is to give young people new experiences in a multi sensory and engaging environment. So pupils are able to travel to new places, explore new cultures and learn about the world around them all from the safety of their school.
Headteacher, Adam Booker explains: “Our immersive space is fabulous, unique and will enhance the learning opportunities available to our pupils. We saw a similar space some years ago and have worked hard with our partners at the Cummins Foundation to have it created in the last two weeks. The reactions so far have all been similar , ‘WOW’ being the most frequent!”
The school have kindly shared some videos of their pupils enjoying the new space for the first time which you can watch below.
The local press have also been reporting on the exciting new space at the school which you can read all about here.
What next?
If you’d like 4D creative’s design team to give your sensory room a new lease of life, just get in touch.A non obligation quote is quick and simple for us to draw up. You can call us on 0844 414 2595 or send an email to hello@4dcreative.co.uk.
A programme that enables pupils to create memorable experiences and improve literacy through visiting new places has been praised by the Education Endowment Foundation.
Schools which have adopted a programme tried out in the United States in the 1990s that focuses on getting children to write about memorable experiences in their lives have seen a remarkable improvement in literacy standards, it adds.
A survey of more than 800 primary and secondary school pupils showed it improved their writing standards by nine months on average – and 18 months for disadvantaged pupils on free school meals
The children were also told how to mark their own work, with teachers explaining how marks would be awarded.
In subsequent exercises – with the pupils knowing what was expected of them – their performance improved.
Blending a creative curriculum and an immersive approach
At 4D, we’re passionate about using immersive spaces to create engaging and inspirational environments and to give young people new experiences. Your pupils could visit the zoo in the morning, travel to a street in Delhi in the afternoon and the next day be in outer space all from one room. Each setting will have the sights and sounds to fully immerse your pupils to improve their writing.
An immersive, experiential approach has been shown to have clear impact on pupils especially in literacy. To hear from the teachers working in our immersive spaces, watch the video below or explore our case studies page.
What now?
A member of our team would love to explain how we could support immersive approaches to be in your school by September 2014.
Just drop us a line and we will arrange a time to come and see you or to give you a call. Or just leave a comment in the box below and we’ll be in touch.
All schools are looking to give young people the chance to experience the world around them and develop all the skills to be successful in the future.
Your pupil premium has been introduced to help achieve better outcomes and at 4D, we believe our immersive spaces are a tool that will support better outcomes for your pupils
Experiential learning
An immersive space allows you to transport your pupils from their usual classroom to new cultures, worlds and experiences giving a fresh context to learning. This may be a trip to a museum or another country or be about a more abstract experience such as visiting other planets.
“The purpose of the room is that it blows the kids away and takes them to places they never thought possible. You can show them a picture on a board but it is not the same, it’s not the same at all. There are no boundaries in a room like this.”
Wendy Austin, Harwood Meadows School, Bolton
Communication and language skills
The power of giving a class a real stimulus that they’ve seen, felt, heard and experienced has been shown to improve writing and inspire young people particularly for those who English is their second language.
Pupils can be transported to read and write war poetry from a muddy trench or taken deep into the heart of a spooky wood and asked to imagine what is around the corner. Set imaginations and pens wild!
“By using the Dream Room, St Christopher’s has seen a marked improvement in the speaking and listening skills of its students. Teachers are taking greater accountability for creativity in their teaching and learning as the immersive space is proving to be a useful tool for this.”
Colette Denby, Headteacher, St Christopher’s Primary School.
Peer led learning and collaboration
Task young people to research and source images or videos and then present them back to their class. This is real life learning, developing an understanding of partnership working, creating suitable resources and then sharing this with their cohorts. The immersive space is a stage that brings the best out of everyone who works in there.
“The impact that we have seen on the pupils has been very impressive. The level of interaction and connection with subjects and topic areas has been outstanding.”
Dominic Annable, Head Of Languages. Wade Deacon High School, Widnes
Training with Education professionals.
An immersive space is a tool to facilitate experiences. All our spaces come with a full range of training with former teachers and for those interested, our team can create a whole school approach for your staff and pupils putting creativity at the heart of your curriculum.
“Teachers need support and time to learn to use new technology effectively. This involves more than just learning how to use the technology; it should include support to understand how it can be used for learning” – EEF guidelines
Find out more
Learn more about the impact of immersive learning at Harwood Meadows School with our case study video:
What now?
A member of our team would love to explain how immersive approaches could be in your school.
Just drop us a line and we will arrange a time to come and see you or to give you a call.
Lots of schools we work with replace their sensory room with an immersive space. The combination of light, sound and projection all run through a tablet device is ideal for calming sensory activities, fun physio sessions and curriculum based learning too.
If you’re looking for a fresh, creative approach to a sensory room, here’s ten reasons why you need to talk to 4D!
1. Curriculum focused…with a wide range of preloaded content, the immersive space can be used to teach lessons for all key stages
2. Inclusive…pupils of all ages and abilities can learn and interact in an exciting, creative environment
3. Instantly change…your environment to react to the needs and engagement of your pupils
4. Control…your entire space through tablet devices and wireless switches for captivating hands on learning
5. Built to last… only the best quality kit is used in our installations so you can be confident that your space is built to last
6. Future proofed…images, videos, sounds and lighting can all be customised for every session. New content is quick and simple to upload.
7. Interactive and fun…splash in virtual water, reveal hidden images or trigger sound effects for an active, physio session
8. Socialisation…from a trip to the shop to a job interview, practice real life situations in a safe, friendly environment
9. Cause and effect…use assistive touch technologies to control the entire space
10. Simple to use…a press of a touchscreen changes light, sound and projection instantly
Want to find out more? We recently made a video with Hebden Green School to show how they use their immersive space:
This week we were really pleased to hear that Sedgemoor Care Home has been nominated in the Innovative Design Category at this years Pinder Awards.
The dementia support centre which opened in 2013 in Liverpool is also home to one of our first immersive spaces in the health and social care sector. The Awards promote and recognise the very best developments in all types of care-related property. Well done to the staff and all involved with Sedgemoor and we hope you win this well deserved award.
The immersive space we installed features large scale projection, an interactive wall, lighting and sound. We have also been working with the fantastic staff at Sedgemoor to use the space in a person centred manor, giving a space that can be used to start conversations, share memories and relax. This initial project is showing us that our spaces are having a positive impact on people with dementia and their families.
We also recently welcomed staff from Clarence Ward and Sedgemoor Care home to our offices to discuss where the project goes next. A very positive and enjoyable time was spent exploring the possibilities. Expect more exciting developments very soon.
Watch an ITV news report on the opening of Sedgemoor Care Home below.
Just before Christmas, we took the 4D Pop Up to Holywell High for a days workshop on the Carbon Cycle. Our friends from AS creatives joined us to lead a day long workshop for pupils from a selection of high schools from the local area.
Together, the group explored the impact we have on our planet, global warming and what we can do to prevent further damage. After an introduction in the 4D Pop Up, pupils explored the carbon cycle, wrote presentations and gathered content. At the end of the day each group presented their findings in the style of news reports to their peers inside the 4D Pop Up.
In a suitably overblown manor, we have quickly pulled together some photos of the event into iMovie. Saving the world should always involve ridiculously empowering music! iMovie trailer maker is one of our favourite ways to capture videos like the one below and is always something we recommend to the schools we work with.
This year we will be launching our new programme of creative workshops – explore immersive learning in any setting for any age group. If you would like to find out more then just get in touch via our contact page.
Our third case study video takes us to Manchester Communication Academy. Staff and students showcased some fantastic examples on how immersive learning can have a massive impact on pupils at secondary level.
We installed an immersive space at the Academy in July 2011 and since then it’s been used right across the curriculum.
If you’ve been following our recent project with the Academy, you will know that we’ve been working with pupils to create their own immersive content. Photos have been edited, videos cut and soundtracks created as the students responded to a brief set to them. It was fantastic to be involved in such a pupil led and empowering scheme of work that was such a success, it has been added to the school’s ICT curriculum.
Click below to hear from the staff and pupils involved in a wide range of outstanding lessons.
The second in our series of our immersive learning in action videos was shot at Harwood Meadows Primary School in Bolton.
Our space at at the school was completed in September 2011 and we’ve been blown away by how the staff have embraced immersive learning ever since. It was great to capture some of this work and chat to the ever friendly teaching staff and pupils. Click to watch below now!
If you’d like to find out more information on how an immersive space could transform learning at your school, get in touch!