Researcher's corner

Research work done with G-v-G

• Paper title: Geometry-via-Gestures: Design of a gesture based application to teach 3D Geometry

Cite as: Lakshmi, T. G., Narayana, S., Prasad, P., Murthy, S., & Chandrasekharan, S. (2016). Geometry-via-Gestures: Design of a gesture based application to teach 3D Geometry. In Proceedings of the 24th international conference on computers in education (pp. 180-189).

Abstract: Geometry holds a special place in Mathematics. Learning of Geometry requires understanding and integrating a wide range of topics such as coordinates, shapes, theorems, proofs, properties and formulae, to name a few. In 3D geometry, students find difficult the manipulation of 3D objects and interpreting their structure and properties, such as volume and surface area. Research shows that students mainly focus on the formulae and the numerical operations to calculate the volume or the surface area of a 3D object, and not on visualizing the 3D objects. Various media such as images, animation, simulations and 3D geometric software have been used to help learners visualize 3D shapes. However, the affordances provided by these media do not fully support the construction and manipulation of 3D objects. Based on an embodied interaction approach, we have designed a gesture-based application for high school students to learn the properties of 3D objects. In this paper, we describe the design of the application, “Geometry-via-Gestures” (GvG), which enables learners to construct a right circular cylinder using gestures and derive its volume. We present the results of the first prototype pilot and the proposed redesign

• Paper title: Geometry via Gestures: Learning 3D Geometry Using Gestures

Cite as: Narayana, S., Prasad, P., Lakshmi, T. G., & Murthy, S. (2016, December). Geometry via Gestures: Learning 3D geometry using gestures. In Technology for Education (T4E), 2016 IEEE Eighth International Conference on (pp. 26-33). IEEE.

Abstract: Concepts of 3-dimensional (3D) Geometry are challenging to grasp for school students. The skill of manipulating 3D objects and interpreting their structure and properties are difficult. Traditionally to teach topics that have three dimensions, 3D artifacts have been used. However the opportunity of the learner to interact during the construction and manipulation of 3D objects is desirable. In this paper, we present an application - Geometry via Gestures (G-v-G), which enables learners to interact with 3D objects using their gestures. We report observation and analysis from an exploratory study that was performed to identify the different aspects of 3D geometry that students could learn in the process of using the application. We also examined the students' perception of learning with the application during the study. The analysis indicates that students learn about structure and property of 3D geometrical objects after using G-v-G. In addition, students participating in the study, expressed keen interest in learning additional topics of geometry using gestures.

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Future work:

The project is closed now but you can explore the following areas:

3D Property:

The current research has helped students derive the volume property using G-v-G. Further research can look at how surface area of regular 3D objects and similar properties (volume and surface area) of non regular 3D objects such as sphere, cone etc. can be elicited from students using visualization and task appropriate gestures.

Collaboration:

There is extensive research on how collaboration in ICT tool for education can enhance learning. The same can be explored for G-v-G. For example, in a group setting learners can collaborate and work on specific inquiry activities with G-v-G as a tool.

Student engagement:

The pilot study studied the students’ learning about the properties of 3D structure with G-v-G and their perception of learning 3D Geometry after using G-v-G. Future research could also explore the effect on engagement level of students using this application.

Composite gestures:

Currently G-v-G uses certain predefined gestures to convert 2D object to the desired 3D form. Research could also explore composite gestures (combination of multiple gestures) to perform complex tasks. An example of such gesture could be that of slicing a 2D cylinder and opening it to attain 2D rectangular shaped piece.