About This Lesson
School is stressful for many students, especially now. While some kids thrive in the classroom and don’t need help from the counselor besides help with what classes to take, others need additional support.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, even more students than usual need help from their school counselors. Some are having trouble adjusting to online learning and others are having problems at home that are causing stress, anxiety, and difficulty keeping up with classwork.
On top of this, many counselors are only working over the phone or through video chat. It can be challenging to reach and support students through these mediums alone, so some counselors are turning to new and developing technology to help. Here are 5 ways one of these promising technologies, augmented reality (AR), is helping counselors to ensure that students get the help they need.
Augmented Reality Will Help Students Visualize Goals
At first glance, it might seem strange to think about using AR in counseling. The technology is best known for its role in games and in advertising, but it also plays a role in training and visualization for industries like construction.
Much as it does in the construction industry, AR could be used to help students visualize their goals. It’s a communication tool that can help counselors plan with their students and encourage them to reach social and/or academic goals. Some students are visual learners, and they have trouble reaching goals that are discussed only in abstract terms.
Augmented Reality Can Decrease Anxiety
Anxiety in kids and teens is on the rise, and the pandemic hasn’t helped. Among young Americans ages 3 to 17, 7.1% have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, with many more thought to be undiagnosed. A school counselor will regularly work with children and teens who are experiencing anxiety, and AR has proven to be a helpful tool in managing mental health.
AR has been used to help veterans develop mindfulness and reduce anxiety with the use of an app. Now that even younger students often have smartphones, this technology could be a useful tool for counselors who need to help kids cope with their anxiety. AR-enhanced meditation apps like Healium XR are a great tool for students to use when they feel anxious and overwhelmed throughout the day.
Augmented Reality as a Form of Cybertherapy
With so many schools going completely online this fall, counselors are having to adapt alongside the students. A phone call or video chat might work for one student, but others might have trouble connecting with the counselor virtually using these mediums alone. AR has been used as a form of cybertherapy for patients working with mental health professionals and may become more common in school counseling offices as schools continue to offer instruction online.
Boost Student Engagement By Presenting Information in 3D
It isn’t always easy to get students engaged and excited about learning goals and mental health management. Counselors may have trouble making progress with some students by simply talking to them and working on the issues they’ve been struggling with. Connecting with students is sometimes challenging, especially because counselors typically have limited time with each student.
AR gives counselors a more engaging “toolbox” they can use with students. Augmented reality can present information in 3-D to illustrate concepts, which tends to be much more engaging for students, particularly kids in younger grades. Counselors need to have several different ways of presenting information and supporting students in order to engage kids with different learning styles.
Globalize Learning & Counseling
We live in a global world, and the global pandemic we’re experiencing is shaking up the world of educational technology. Schools are slow to innovate, often due to budget restrictions, but with the sudden need to offer distanced learning options, tools like AR are becoming more common.
As augmented reality becomes more accessible for schools around the world, it could be used in global counseling and learning initiatives for students worldwide. Schools that don’t have the budget for hiring more counselors could supplement their staff with applications that use AR to help students manage their mental health and social development. Apps are no substitute for working with a counselor, but they might be able to bring more support to students around the globe without access to high-quality mental health and educational support.
AR is still developing, and not every school will have the budget or equipment to use it at this point. But there are many ways it can help to engage students and support counselors in making sure each child has access to the services they need to thrive.
