Mixed-reality Learning Environments: What Happens When You Move from a Laboratory to a Classroom?

Abstract

The advent of motion-controlled technologies has unlocked new possibilities for body-based learning in the mathematics classroom. For example, mixed-reality learning environments allow students the opportunity to embody a mathematical concept while simultaneously being provided a visual interface that represents their movement. In the current study, we created a mixed-reality environment to help children learn about angle measurement, and we investigated similarities and differences in learning between students who completed the activity individually during a one-on-one interview and students who observed others complete the activity during whole-class instruction. Pre- and post-assessment results showed that students in both settings learned at similar rates. Additionally, we analyzed the language used during the activity and found that students in the individual setting used more spatial language early in the activity, while students in the whole-class setting used more metaphors. This finding was likely due to differences in the perspectives students have when physically engaging with the angle compared to the perspective when observing someone else engage with the embodied-interaction.