Making everyday groovier
Personal Project - 2024
5 Months
Spatial Interaction Design
A Mixed Reality Approach to Embodied Learning
CalCurious
Project Overview
This project explores how embodied cognition and XR (Extended Reality) can transform learning experiences for high school students, particularly in calculus. By integrating movement and immersive technologies, I sought to create an inclusive and engaging way for students to understand abstract concepts such as infinitesimals through kinesthetic interaction and real-time feedback. The goal was to bridge the gap between theoretical understanding and physical application, making math learning accessible, interactive, and impactful.
This project explores how embodied cognition and XR (Extended Reality) can transform learning experiences for high school students, particularly in calculus. By integrating movement and immersive technologies, I sought to create an inclusive and engaging way for students to understand abstract concepts such as infinitesimals through kinesthetic interaction and real-time feedback. The goal was to bridge the gap between theoretical understanding and physical application, making math learning accessible, interactive, and impactful.
Context and Motivation
The rigid, exam-centric education system in India stifles students' creativity and does not adequately accommodate diverse learning styles. With the rapid integration of digital tools in education, traditional learning approaches often prioritize rote memorization over experiential and kinesthetic understanding. This project seeks to humanize XR and prioritize embodied learning, making complex mathematical ideas approachable and relatable for diverse learners.
The rigid, exam-centric education system in India stifles students' creativity and does not adequately accommodate diverse learning styles. With the rapid integration of digital tools in education, traditional learning approaches often prioritize rote memorization over experiential and kinesthetic understanding. This project seeks to humanize XR and prioritize embodied learning, making complex mathematical ideas approachable and relatable for diverse learners.
What?
Exploring how XR (Extended Reality) and movement-based learning can transform the way calculus is taught and learned.
Why?
Traditional math education often disengages students due to rote learning and lack of embodied, practical understanding. Movement-based approaches, inspired by embodied cognition, can make abstract concepts tangible and engaging.
How?
A mixed-reality experience that translates complex calculus concepts into interactive, kinesthetic activities, bridging accessibility gaps across educational environments.
The Context
Loss of Kinesthetics...
Loss of Kinesthetics...
As students progress through higher grades (9-12), educational environments tend to prioritize abstract reasoning and theoretical knowledge, often sidelining physical, hands-on, or experiential learning opportunities. This in turn leads to the students adapting to their environments by becoming less and less kinesthetic.
Is it the learning environment that restricts students? Or do students stop being kinesthetic with age?
MYTH
As students reach high school, they should become less kinesthetic and focus more on traditional academic methods like reading, writing, and lectures, since they are transitioning to adulthood and higher education.
Primary Research
Through my primary research, I was able to conclude that as students progress through secondary education, their levels of kinesthetic engagement tend to decline, particularly when instruction is heavily lecture-based and lacks active participation.
Sir, why aren’t you taking us to the ground to do activities anymore? It used to be so much fun.
I do want to children, but there is just a lot of portion to complete, and the exams are year so we need to focus.
I would have enjoyed learning if there wasn’t so much school work that I need to manage alongside my coaching clases.
01
Insights from Teachers
02
Insights from Students
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Insights from Movers
There is a need for navigating this loss of kinesthetic learning and build experiential learning experiences that lead to better outcomes.
There is a need for building experiences for students that don’t add more stress and take away from the exams.
There is a need for building immersive and collaborative experiences that bridge the gap between the physical and digital world.
Why?
Movement Practitioners are inherently kinaesthetic and have an increased awareness of their bodies. As a dancer myself, understanding the body and its effect on learning is an important part of my everyday.
I don’t blame the students for being disengaged. We need to look for better ways of packaging the content in a more engaging manner. -Grade 11&12 Maths Teacher
I don’t blame the students for being disengaged. We need to look for better ways of packaging the content in a more engaging manner. -Grade 11&12 Maths Teacher