A virtual environment dedicated to spatial geometry to help students to see better in space

Xavier Nicolas (1) , Jana Trgalova (1)

1 EA S2HEP - Sciences et Société ; Historicité, Éducation et Pratiques

We report about an experiment carried out in a school context of teaching spatial geometry with a dynamic geometry environment, based on gesture-based interface for use with immersive, room-scale virtual reality. The work reported in this paper is the first iteration of a research cycle involving teachers, researchers and developers to help high school students better "see" in space and propose principles for the design and use of such environments in a school context. Our study focuses on the impact of "dimensional construction" techniques on the way students perceive a geometric figure represented in a cavalier perspective. Our first results show a significant improvement of students' performance, demonstrating the appropriation and transfer of these dimensional construction techniques to 2D supports as well as the transition from an iconic to a non-iconic vision of figures, which is an essential condition for geometric activity.

Mots clés: Mathematics; learning; geometry; visualization; technology

Domaines: Mathématiques [math]; Education

Xavier Nicolas, Jana Trgalova. A virtual environment dedicated to spatial geometry to help students to see better in space. Eleventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education, Utrecht University, Feb 2019, Utrecht, Netherlands. ⟨hal-02428742⟩