Using scenario planning to inform pedagogical practice in virtual worlds in schools: Collaboration and structure

The learning affordances of virtual worlds have long being trumpeted; the barriers to the ―take up‖ of virtual worlds in mainstream education have also been explored, with emphasis being placed on technical problems, lack of time and money. Yet, a challenge for future learning is how one teaches in a virtual world, and what research has been undertaken has focused largely upon tertiary education. Much less is understood about how school teachers should structure virtual lessons, and what level of collaboration or independent work is necessary to guide students towards attainment of learning outcomes. This paper will provide a theoretical review of teaching and learning in virtual worlds, and offer an initial discussion of the role and importance of structure and collaboration in virtual worlds in a school-based environment. This has been validated through four case studies using scenario-planning methodology, and drawing upon realworld practitioner-based examples.