Mina Khan, Fernando Trujano, Ashris Choudhury, Pattie Maes, "Mathland: Playful Mathematical Learning in Mixed Reality" CHI EA '18 Extended Abstracts of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Abstract

Mathematical experiences are intrinsic to our everyday lives, yet mathematics education is mostly confined to textbooks. Seymour Papert used the term "Mathland" to propose a world where one would learn mathematics as naturally as one learns French while growing up in France. We demonstrate a mixed reality application that augments the physical world with interactive mathematical concepts to enable constructionist mathematical learning in the real world. Using Mathland, people can collaboratively explore, experience, and experiment with mathematical phenomena in playful, applied, and exploratory ways. We implemented Mathland using the Microsoft Hololens and two custom controllers to afford complete immersion through tangible interactions, embodiment, and situated learning.