Game consoles encourage interactive learning at Wroxeter Roman City

On the face of it, learning about local history and games consoles may seem like a world apart, but an innovative approach to learning about the Romans from English Heritage’s education team is set to see handheld consoles used to bring history to life at Wroxeter Roman City, near Shrewsbury.

Education groups visiting the site will shortly be able to prebook a set of PSPs (Sony PlayStation Portable handheld games consoles) for their classes to use as they explore the Roman ruins and the recreated Town House. Children simply use the console to scan one of the special barcodes which are scattered around the site, and then get to see a video featuring costumed characters explaining a little more about the particular location, from the bath house to the shop.

“Having the Roman Town House has gone a huge way towards helping pupils understand how important Wroxeter was in Roman Britain – suddenly, they can see an example of the buildings where previously they could only see the ruined foundations – and this new PSP initiative takes that one step further, using video clips of costumed interpreters to help them understand more about the workings of the city,” explains English Heritage’s regional education manager, David Sheldon, who helped developed the technique for Wroxeter. “Using technology to enhance an outdoor learning experience facilities the visit for teachers, and also enables us to tell the story of the site to a wider range of abilities than a conventional display panel or guidebook.”

The PSP consoles are available free of charge to pre-booked groups (subject to availability), whether they are enjoying a free educational visit to the site, or as a free add-on to a Discovery Visit (for which there is a £90 charge per group), where they are accompanied on their tour by a costumed Roman guide.

Wroxeter Roman City is open daily until 4 November from 10.00am to 5.00pm. For more information, or to book a free educational visit to Wroxeter Roman City, please call English Heritage’s dedicated Educational Booking team on 0870 333 0606.

ENDS

For further media information, please contact:

Jay Commins – PRO English Heritage (Education)

Tel: 0113 251 5698

Mob: 07810 546567

Email: jay@fim.org.uk