Game overview

Description

Can we learn numbers and math operations in a more intuitive way?

+-· : numblers is a numerals system that helps children aged between 5 and 7 to get number sense; understand the properties and operations with numbers in a physical and visual way. In order to make it more fun a board game is included so that it is not limited to its use as a support material in classrooms. It has been designed so that it can be easily downloaded from the Internet. It can also be printed at very low cost since it just needs a little bit of black ink and colored A4 paper. It is distributed through a Creative Commons License.

Award

+-·: numblers. Awarded first prize in the International Contest Science on Stage (Hispanic Countries and Portugal) organized by CSIC (High Council for Scientific Research), ICMAT (Mathematical Science Institute), RSEF (Royal Spanish Physics Society) and UNED (National Distance Learning University). 2013.

Opportunity & process

I began to think if I could fnd a simple way to make him “see” what he was doing.

This project started as I observed how my son was learning numbers in school. I was astonished to realize that he was learning very much the same way I learnt many years ago; same difculties, same limitations and same misunderstandings. To begin with, he was learning to count by heart; not really understanding what he was doing and, of course, not knowing what counting was for. He did not understand what number was bigger and did not grasp the notion of successor. Tings got a bit worse when he started to learn how to add / subtract numbers. He was learning the operations, counted with his fngers and had difculties getting what it was for as soon as the problems demanded some extra thinking and were not a straightforward addition / subtraction operation. I began to think if I could fnd a simple way to make him “see” what he was doing.

Click here for more information about the process.

Video presentation of the solution

Preliminary sketches

Still pictures presentation

RecortableMan II splash screen

Description

Can we get children into the flow of a video game and make them learn physics?

RecortableMan is a constructivist and open videogame designed to explain inclined planes to children aged between 5 and 7. The different variables that take place in ramps and skateboards are presented in an isolated way so that its understanding is easier: friction, height, weight and angle. Real experiments and competitions with other super heroes are included in order to certify the learning objectives. It pursues a learning by doing, experimenting and discovering focusing each content unit on a key concept. Later on in the videogame several of these firstly isolated key concepts will have to be combined to solve the higher levels.

Opportunity & motivation

What do video games have that make children learn very difficult things in order to play them for hours?

What do video games have that make children learn very difficult things in order to play them for hours? In this project, that I consider a beautiful failure, I tried to explore if a video game could make you learn some physics principles.

Designed with my own child’s drawings and paper cut outs I tried to make it look warm and close to children. Having a goal (not awakening the sleeping baby) and small new challenges based on previous ones I tried to make it fun. I also tried to give it a bigger general goal in the sense that the main character should learn to jump and fly for a few seconds with his skateboard.

But the lack of randomness, the lousy interaction and rather boring challenges make it a play-only-once game.

Try the game

Clicking here you can download the RecortableMan videogame for Windows ®.

Video presentation

End of Game Screen

RecortableMan jumps and FLY!

Screenshots of the application

Presentation from mariano velamazán on Vimeo.

Questions & curiosity

An almost useful toybook

This is another project I did for my little son Alberto. It is his first book. Inspired by Bruno Munari’s Libri illeggibile the pages can be turned around and self ordered so that many different compositions can be created while playing.

Questions

A short story for my child about one of the most important things: curiosity. Questions story (low res.)

Interaction: dynamic demonstration on any triangle created by the user

Description

Can you learn geometry just drawing?

Triangles is another learning project that tries to explain visually the geometry, properties and importance of triangles in our daily life. It tries to do so with interactive and visual demonstrations of properties of triangles and with real life problems. Written in ActionScript 3 using Adobe FlexBuilder ®.

Read a more detailed report about the Triangles project (in Spanish).

Award

Honorific Mention in the International Contest Science on Stage (Hispanic Countries and Portugal) organized by CSIC (High Council for Scientific Research), ICMAT (Mathematical Science Institute), RSEF (Royal Spanish Physics Society) and UNED (National Distance Learning University).

Motivation & Process

Sometimes, children have difficulties understanding math concepts because they are too abstract or because “they don’t see it”.

Sometimes, children have difficulties understanding math concepts because they are too abstract or because “they don’t see it”. That is the case with many theorems demonstrations and problems. So in this project I tried to explore the possibilities of having visual demonstrations of theorems and some interactive assistance to help visualize and solve real life problems.

I also concentrated on making an application that is easily updated and customized by teachers so that it could be used for any kind of teaching method based on Adobe Flash ®.

In order to achieve this goal, I created a “AS3 Geometry Library” and the framework for the application so that it was easily updated and other people could create their own exercises and content.

Visual Demonstrations & Problems

Can we design real problems that look actually real?

The user can draw any triangle inside a canvas and all its properties are displayed. There is always a question so that students explore the concept that they usually don’t understand. Visual animations demonstrate the solutions drawn by students. For example, watch out the Pythagora’s interactive visual demonstration.

The problem is set with a background photography over which you can draw and work. Students can draw semitransparent triangles over it and get all their triangles numerical properties. One of them, or a combination of them are the solutions of the problem. Sometimes, more than one triangle have to be drawn.

Try the application

The project was not thought to be displayed on the Internet but if you are patient, take a look

Excerpt video demo

Screenshots of the application

Test: interactive demonstrations on any triangle drawn by the user

Test: a real life problem with the aid of the interactive triangle tool

This one was one of the first things i did. Well…

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