Lyfta impact: Broadening horizons across a MAT using Lyfta - Leo Academy Trust

Students using the Lyfta platform

LEO Academy Trust

Tweet about Lyfta

Lyfta is an award-winning global learning platform which invites students to explore the world through a growing series of immersive learning environments (storyworlds) where they encounter diverse real human stories from across the globe through stunning 360° environments, high quality films and digital content.

Schools across Leo Academy Trust have been using Lyfta to support pupil outcomes, which include active citizenship, collaboration and leadership. This blog takes an in-depth look at what Lyfta learning has looked like in classrooms across the Trust and the impact they are seeing with use of the platform.

Graham Macaulay, Director of Technology at the Trust commented that Lyfta had helped teachers tackle trickier topics, such as inequality and challenging stereotypes, in a deeper and more immersive way than would have been possible without the platform. LEO Academy Trust CEO, Phillip Hedger also commented that the Trust is now mapping Lyfta content to the wider curriculum, integrating the platform into topic themes and subjects including PSHE.

"Lyfta helps our children be more involved in the wider curriculum, develop thinking skills, and have the opportunity to explore places around the world. It also encourages them to talk about their own experiences. The teaching resources link well with PSHE and topic lessons."

Leanne Milligan

Teacher, Manor Park Primary Academy (a LEO Academy Trust School)

Nurturing perseverance: A Year 5 assembly on perseverance at Brookfield Academy

In storyworld Anni's Home

Vice-Principal Rachel Mander used the Lyfta platform to nurture perseverance in Year 5 using the Lyfta storyworld'Anni's Home' which features Finnish teenager and sports enthusiast Anni as sheeats with her family and discusses her love of weightlifting. Rachel started by introducing the word 'perseverance' and asked the pupils what they thought it might mean. They gave varied answers, and then Rachel launched the ready-made Lyfta assembly plan on perseverance. She modelled how to access the 360° space and watch the film from the front of the class before allowing children to explore in pairs on their own devices.

"This meant the assembly kept pace and the discussion was really profound. The children loved then being able to go back and watch the video and spin 360° around the kitchen where Anni and her family were eating. The video was great – as the children were able to put their headphones on and watch it at their own pace. I was able to help read subtitles for children that struggled with reading."

At the end of the lesson the children shared instances where they had shown perseverance during their own lives. Rachel said:

"The assembly really helped the children to relate to Anni and see the benefit of not giving up and trying your best. They also learned that practise is essential."

She also described the longer term impact of the assembly on her pupils:

"My children are really encouraging towards each other and enforce the message of keeping going, not giving up and that it is good to try new things…In a Maths lesson, one child was becoming really stressed by a task, they began to get overwhelmed and before I went over, a child on their table reassured them and said that it was ok to make mistakes and to not understand it yet – they talked about having a growth mindset and persevering."

Challenging stereotypes: a Year 6 lesson at Cheam Park Farm Academy

Michal in storyworld Big Ballet Studio

Year 6 teacher, Emma Potter used an immersive Lyfta storyworld featuring a male ballet dancer to look at stereotyping with her pupils:

"We were looking at stereotypes and used the ballet dancer scene to support this. We spoke to the children about their aspirations and gave them a chance to talk about what they wanted to be when they grew up. We then explored the storyworld, watched the film and discussed whether anyone can do anything they want or if they have to do certain jobs if they were a boy or a girl."

Emma shared how the immersive resources had facilitated a rich discussion about challenging stereotypes amongst her pupils, and gave her the opportunity to build a meaningful conversation around a topic that was difficult to introduce in a classroom setting. Of the impact, she said:

"I think it has made them more outward thinking….I think they have been more thoughtful about themselves and encouraging each other."

Introducing sustainability: Using Lyfta in Key Stage One

Rob In storyworld beachcomber

Paula, a Year 1 teacher at Brookfield Primary, used Lyfta's Beachcomber storyworld to explore the issue of plastic waste with her students. She showed her class the short films of Rob, an artist and activist, collecting plastic waste from a beach in Cornwall and using it to make art. She used this to inspire an activity where children reused plastic bottles to make musical instruments for the class music box.

She also used the rich media articles in the storyworld to share facts on plastic waste with the children, including the length of time it takes for plastic to decompose. Petra, a HLTA supporting the lesson, commented that

"the students were definitely more engaged, and eager to share ideas. The children loved the way it presented them with the issues, and ideas about how to be part of the solution."

Student using Lyfta platform

"Giving children the opportunity to explore and be immersed in human stories from across the globe is a great way to broaden students' horizons and foster empathy and compassion. Immersive human stories found on Edtech platforms expand this opportunity further and facilitate access to a broad and diverse range of narratives which helps students experience the world and understand for themselves how interconnected and interdependent we are."

[1]Ginnis, P. (2007)The Teacher's Toolkit: Raise Classroom Achievement with Strategies for Every Learner, Carmarthen: Crown House Publishing

Get started for free