Spring 2026 — Paloheinä and Kannelmäki schools, Helsinki
Imvi is currently testing VR-based reading training in two schools in Helsinki. The pilot project investigates how immersive content from services like YLE, SVT, and Binogi can improve students' reading ability – both for students with reading difficulties and for entire classes.
Imvi launches pilot project in Helsinki schools
This week, Imvi launched its first pilots in Helsinki — in collaboration with the City of Helsinki. Two schools. Two different approaches. One common goal: stronger reading results for children.
Kannelmäki school: targeted support for students with reading difficulties
At Kannelmäki school, Imvi is used as an adaptation and special measure for students in grades 3–4 who have reading difficulties. These are children who need a different path to the same goal — and Imvi gives them just that.
Paloheinä school: reading training for the entire class
At Paloheinä school, an entire fifth-grade class uses Imvi together — not as a support tool, but as an activity to promote reading ability for all students. Everyone is included. The same classroom. The same experience.
This is important. Because the question we hear most often from schools and municipalities is: "Who is Imvi for?" The answer that Helsinki is showing us this spring is simple: everyone. What we saw in the classroom.
Imvi's CEO Peter traveled to Helsinki this week to support the launch and teach teachers how to get the most out of Imvi.
How Imvi's VR training works in the classroom
Students put on VR headsets and watch content from well-known educational services — including YLE, SVT, UR, NRK, and Binogi. High-quality programs they may already be familiar with, now experienced in an immersive format that strengthens reading in ways traditional methods cannot. It is the teachers who choose what content their students will see — material that reinforces what they are already working on in the classroom. Imvi fits into the teacher's plan, not the other way around.
When technology disappears and learning takes over
At one point during the session, Peter measured the interpupillary distance of one of the teachers — a common step to properly adjust VR headsets. He read the result aloud: 67.
The whole class erupted.
Those who know, know. For those who don't know — 67 is a number that currently has a life of its own in youth culture. The teacher became an instant star. The room filled with laughter.
And in that moment, something important happened: the technology disappeared. It was just a room full of children — connected, happy, and ready to learn.
That's what good educational technology looks like.
Why the pilot project in Helsinki is important
Helsinki is one of the first cities in the world to test Imvi in two complementary ways simultaneously. This matters for several reasons:
Teachers
For teachers, this means that Imvi fits naturally into your teaching — you choose the content, you decide when and how it is used, and it reinforces what you are already working on in the classroom. Whether it's targeted support for students who need it, or a classroom activity for everyone, Imvi serves your goals.
Municipalities
Municipalities and decision-makers offer Helsinki a clear example: you don't have to choose between inclusion and universal benefit. Imvi serves both purposes — within the same school, even within the same curriculum.
Parents
For parents, it means that your child watches quality content from trusted services like YLE, SVT, and Binogi — chosen by the teacher to fit the instruction — in an immersive format that makes reading training both more effective and more engaging.
What happens after the pilot project?
We are closely following the progress of both pilots in the coming months and will share the results here on the blog. We are grateful to the City of Helsinki, the teachers, and especially the students at Kannelmäki and Paloheinä for being part of this journey.
If you are a teacher, principal, or work for a municipality and want to know more about how Imvi could work in your organization — please get in touch.
Follow Imvi for updates, or contact us directly to find out how we can help your school or municipality improve reading results.
Imvi uses VR-based training to strengthen children's reading ability. Students watch content from trusted educational services like YLE, SVT, UR, NRK, and Binogi — chosen by the teacher to reinforce classroom instruction. The technology is designed to be used both as individual support for students with reading difficulties and as a classroom activity to promote reading for everyone.
