A group of people stand around a table and look at the map of a game.

The Immersive Learning Collective

About The Immersive Learning Collective

An ambitious multi-year project exploring the application of Punchdrunk Enrichment practice in school settings. 

Beginning in 2019, the Immersive Learning Collective brought together a group of teachers from primary schools and a special education needs school in London. Through a bespoke multi-year programme, our aim was to help teachers become experts in immersive learning, providing tools and training to independently plan and launch  their own creative  projects for children.

This project allowed for the development of deep longitudinal engagement. The collective have worked with our team of experienced practitioners to deliver new projects, learn and apply principles in their schools and share knowledge with peers and the wider sector. The project explored what immersive learning  is, how it can be sustainably embedded in school life, and the impact on teachers’ practice and pupil engagement and achievements.

The Immersive Learning Collective was developed in partnership with Dr Angela Colvert at Sheffield University, who has been exploring the role of the teacher as creative practitioner, building on her research into models of immersive play in Punchdrunk Enrichment’s practice. In the final stages of the project, she was joined by co-investigator Dr Lisa Stephenson at Leeds Beckett University. 

A close-up image of a child's hands. They are holding a matchbox which is half open, inside is some green string. The child is also holding a miniature set of scissors, it looks like they have been found inside the matchbox. The child is wearing a light blue zipped up hoodie and is holding a blue exercise book under their arm. The photo is taken outside, you can see some green grass in the background and sunlight is falling on their hands.
What is Immersive Learning?

The story so far…

2019-2020: Part One: Punchdrunk Enrichment Principles

16 schools explored the principles of Punchdrunk Enrichment’s practice in CPD sessions and were the first to experience a brand new project for Years 5-6.

2020-2021 

The collective met online to explore immersive learning during the year, including a collection of immersive projects designed for home, hybrid and online learning.

2021-2022: Part Two: Co-Creation

Early years teachers collaborated with Punchdrunk Enrichment creatives to create a new teacher-led adventure for 3-5 year olds, and explored the process of creative co-creating for immersive learning projects in CPD sessions.

2022-2023: Part Three: Independent Design

In this final year, a group of Immersive Learning Collective schools designed and launched their own immersive learning experiences for their pupils, supported by mentoring from Punchdrunk Enrichment creatives, conversations with their peers, and access to a programme of skills development workshops.

2024: Mentoring for the Future

Teachers at seven schools in Greenwich, who are also taking part in our Immersive Learning Journeys programme will receive mentoring from Punchdrunk Enrichment creatives to launch their own immersive learning projects, the culmination and legacy of a long term partnership.  

I would encourage every school to have a go at doing something like this. The outcome and the experiences that children have has been second to none. I think definitely something people should try, definitely something we will continue.

Sade Ferguson, Year 5 Teacher, Eglinton Primary School 

Image gallery

GALLERY

  • A group of people standing in a room with colourful stalls.
  • A woman is talking to a group of people at a table.
  • A group of people talking to each other at an indoor marketplace. There are images from immersive learning projects hung up with pegs on a laundry line.
  • A group of teachers sit talking to each other.
  • A group of teachers sit in a circle with notebooks and pens. Behind them, is an exposed brick wall and a fireplace.
  • A woman wearing a white top writes about "myths" on a black chalkboard

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