Technology development in education has opened up new opportunities to improve learning effectiveness, one of which is passed through the technology of Augmented Reality. AR is a technology that combines the real world with virtual elements, allowing users to see 3D objects in their surroundings through devices like smartphones or tablets. In education, particularly in geometry learning, this technology offers more interactive and profound experiences. Students can visualize geometry objects in 3D, understand their properties, and manipulate them to get a better understanding.
This article will talk about AR benefits in geometry learning, some examples of application, and the challenges faced in the application of this technology in the classroom.
Geometry is a mathematical branch associated with shape, size, relative position, and the nature of space of the object. One of the challenges in geometry learning is to help students understand abstract concepts such as 3D, angles and spatial relationships. AR use can help students visualize and manipulate geometry objects in a real environment.
The main benefit of AR in geometry study is:
According to research on Education Technology Research and Development, the use of AR in education helps improve student understanding and interest in subjects that require complex visualization, such as geometry.
AR technology offers various innovative opportunities in geometry learning. Some examples of the application are as follows:
One of the most popular AR applications in geometry learning is 3D form visualization, like cubes, prism, pyramids and balls. With the AR app, students can see these shapes in reality on their devices screen and study the properties of every shape, like the number of sides, angles and length of ribs.
For example, using applications like the AR GeoGebra, students can see 3D geometry in different angles and understand how rotation and projections work. They can also zoom in or shrink the size of objects, which helps them understand the concept of scale.
Learning about angles and rotation can be a challenge for students who are difficult to visualize the orientation changes of objects. With AR, students could see what 3D is spinning in three-dimensional space. For example, using AR applications, they can see how the corners in the cube change when the object is played.
It allows students to understand the angles between different fields in 3D, as well as how change angles affect the appearance of objects. In the long run, learning with AR helps students master the concept- concept of basic geometry better.
The concept of space and volume is a key aspect in geometry that is often difficult to understand if it's only taught through a two-dimensional image on a blackboard or a book. With AR, students can see and understand the relationship between object dimensions and the volume produced. They can observe how 3D shapes interact, and understand the volume difference between those shapes.
For example, students can see how a particular base and height prism can have a different volume if the dimensions on one side change. It helps students to directly understand the concept of volume and connect it to real dimensions.
There are many AR applications that support geometry learning, such as AR Circuits and AR3D Math, that allow students to experiment with the objects of geometry. Through this application, students can try to manipulate objects of geometry, measure corners, or calculate the area and volume directly on display.
The use of these applications also allows teachers to provide an AR-based learning project, where students can learn through live experiments, such as looking at volumes of geometric objects or measuring the distance between points in the shape they create.
The benefit of AR in the study of geometry is not only on the understanding of concepts, but also on the development of relevant skills in the real world. Some of the main benefits that students earn among themselves:
Although AR offers many benefits, his application in class still faces some challenges, among other things:
Some of the strategies the teacher can use to optimize AR use in geometry are:
The use of Augmented Reality (AR) in geometry learning gives us a great opportunity to increase student understanding of concepts that are often difficult to understand abstract. AR allows students to visualize, manipulate, and interact directly with the object geometry in a three-dimensional form. This technology helps not only the students understand the concept of basic geometry, but also in developing critical, spatial, creative thinking skills.
However, to optimize AR use, there needs to be support for adequate technology resources, teacher training, and good integration with curriculum. Thus, AR can be an effective tool in geometry learning, as well as helping students prepare for the challenges of the increasingly digital and technological world.
Source: Santos, M. E. C., Chen, A., Taketomy, T., Yamamoto, G., Miyazaki, J. & Kato, H. (2017). Augmented Reality Learning Experiences: Survey of Prototype design and evaluation.
This article presents a survey of the application of AR prototypes in learning, including the learning and development experience of design.