Building sandcastles in AR: How playing with sand can help students learn mathematics

Abstract

In this thesis, the possibilities of using the AR sandbox as embodied learning environment to learn about vector geometry are discussed. Two new features are added to the open source code of AR sandbox to support mathematical tasks. These features are the projection of a coordinate system and symbol feedback. Complementary tasks were designed such as creating a vector such that the symbol feedback is equal to a given vector. A case study of two high school students completing the task sequence was analyzed with focus on the embodied framework. The affordances of the AR sandbox allowed students to test their hypothesis and to act in a three dimensional space to elaborate on their ideas. The AR sandbox, as an embodied learning environment, enabled students to build perceptual structures and create new grounding experiences through their interactions, both with each other and with the sandbox itself.