Using a Simulator to Help Students with Dyspraxia Learn Geometry
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Using a Simulator to Help Students with Dyspraxia Learn Geometry Fabien Emprin 1
& Édith
Petitfour 2
# Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract This article investigates how a computer simulator for human interactions and a dyadic system in a pencil-and-paper environment can contribute to helping students with poor motor co-ordination, notably those with dyspraxia, to learn geometry. The aim is to design an alternative way to teach the subject, and to explore its effects on the learning processes. Geometric construction is an important element in the curriculum in primary and secondary school, but is not an end in itself. We draw upon Efraim Fischbein’s work, in particular the link between the figural and conceptual aspects of geometric objects, in order to design a simulator that can execute geometrical constructions for students with motor co-ordination problems, who find drawing difficult. Our initial experiment with students with dyspraxia and their peers showcases the potential benefits of alternating human–human and human–avatar dyads. It serves as a proof of concept and highlights the way in which students appropriate the artifact and construct an instrument in the context of drawing. Keywords Learning geometry . Drawings . Simulator . Embodied conversational agent .
Dyspraxia In French primary and secondary schools, the teaching and learning of geometry is based primarily on the use of instruments (ruler, compass and setsquare) in a penciland-paper environment. In the primary school curriculum, for example, typical instructions include, “Identify, name, describe, reproduce, represent and draw solids, and * Fabien Emprin fabien.emprin@univ–reims.fr Édith Petitfour [email protected]
1
CEREP (EA 4692), Université de REIMS, INSPé, 2 rue de la croix de l’ORME, 51130 Rouffy, France
2
LDAR (EA 4434), Normandie Université, UNIROUEN, Universités de Paris, Artois, Cergy Pontoise, Paris-Est Créteil, 76000 Rouen, France
Digital Experiences in Mathematics Education
geometric shapes […] use the set square to draw the line perpendicular to a given line passing through a given point” (MENJ 2018; free translation). Drawing with instruments is compulsory and is expected to help students understand geometric concepts. The teaching and learning of geometry proceeds from the concrete to the abstract, starting with the use of manipulative tools. The role of manipulation in helping students learn mathematics is commonly accepted in most educational circles (Sarama and Clements 2016). However, this teaching method, which uses manipulatives, is not suitable for students with dyspraxia, as they cannot perform the skilled movements necessary for such academic tasks (Elbasan and Kayihan 2012). Drawing with instruments is an inherent part of learning geometry, and these students invariably fail to complete tasks, whereas they do have the core abilities – reasoning, language and memory – that would otherwise enable them to conceptualize geometric notions. Indeed, Vaivre-Douret et al. (2011) demonstrated that,
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