Building Background Knowledge to Support Literacy through Immersive Learning

Abstract

Students with emotional behavioral disorders (EDB) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often present with deficient literacy skills, sometimes as severe as being several grade levels below their expected achievement. Reading comprehension is particularly challenging as many students with EBD and ASD struggle to understand vocabulary encountered in the text and make connections to previous learning. The Science of Reading is grounded in empirical evidence to support systematic instruction of vocabulary and reading comprehension. The purpose of this iLEAD practitioner contribution is to describe an instructional approach using shared immersive technology to build background knowledge to support literacy development in the areas of vocabulary and reading comprehension. An Immersive Learning Center (ILC), a 360-degree classroom, was developed to create a collaborative, immersive learning experience where students engage in content exploration through 360 photos and videos. This shared immersive learning environment scaffolds opportunities to build background knowledge and has the potential to improve motivation to increase engagement in the learning process. This practitioner contribution highlights specific examples of how to use shared immersive technology to design highly engaging instruction aimed at improving literacy skills.