A virtual environment dedicated to spatial geometry to help students to see better in space

Résumé En

We report about an experiment carried out in a school context of teaching spatial geometry with a dynamic geometry environment, based on gesture-based interface for use with immersive, room-scale virtual reality. The work reported in this paper is the first iteration of a research cycle involving teachers, researchers and developers to help high school students better "see" in space and propose principles for the design and use of such environments in a school context. Our study focuses on the impact of "dimensional construction" techniques on the way students perceive a geometric figure represented in a cavalier perspective. Our first results show a significant improvement of students' performance, demonstrating the appropriation and transfer of these dimensional construction techniques to 2D supports as well as the transition from an iconic to a non-iconic vision of figures, which is an essential condition for geometric activity.