PRE2023 3 Group 9

Collaborative Math Learning

Member	Student Number	Major	E-mail
Ciska de Greef	1735004	BCS	f.i.d.greef@student.tue.nl
Lucas Muller	1437372	BCS	l.t.muller@student.tue.nl
Mex de Loo	1808753	BCS	m.e.c.r.d.loo@student.tue.nl
Sandor van Wieringen	1843990	BCS	s.v.wieringen1@student.tue.nl
Tjeh Chou	1778749	BCS	t.chou@student.tue.nl
Kevin Braam	1864548	BCS	k.j.c.braam@student.tue.nl

Planning

To-Do

Week 1

Task	Name	Deadline	Done?
Objectives	Lucas	Week 1	Yes
Users	Sandor	Week 1	Yes
State-of-the-art	Tjeh	Week 1	Yes
Approach	Kevin	Week 1	Yes
Planning	Ciska	Week 1	Yes
Milestones	Mex	Week 1	Yes
Deliverables	Ciska	Week 1	Yes
Division	Ciska	Week 1	Yes
Find 5 pieces of literature	Everyone	Week 1	Yes

Week 2

Task	Name	Deadline	Done?
Make interview questions	Everyone	Week 2	Yes
Read literature	Everyone	Week 2	Yes
Read past assignment	Everyone	Week 2	No

Week 3

Task	Name	Deadline	Done?
Find problem to tackle	Everyone	Week 3	Yes
Find solutions to that problem	Everyone	Week 3	Yes
Read past assignment (group 10)	Everyone	Week 3	Yes
Add text from overleaf to wiki	Everyone	Week 3	Yes
Add references to wiki	Everyone	Week 3	Yes

Task	Name	Deadline	Done?
Do research on teaching specifically addition, negation to children	Tjeh	3/3	Yes
Think of interview questions to ask about our 2 possible ideas	Sandor	3/3	Yes
Research why a robot would be helpful	Lucas	3/3	Yes
Research why an app would be helpful	Mex	3/3	Yes
Make an app prototype	Kevin	3/3	Yes
Make a robot prototype	Ciska	3/3	Yes

Task	Name	Deadline	Done?
Think of 3 games for children (collaborative and not collaborative version)	Tjeh / Ciska / Kevin	7/3	Yes
Literature research on collaborative learning	Lucas	7/3	Yes
App setup	Mex	7/3	Not yet
Hypothesis Creation	Sandor	7/3	Extended for next meeting

Task	Name	Deadline	Done?
Make interview questions to test our app, based on a Likert scale.	Tjeh, Kevin and Ciska	11/3
Research why our app is fantastic	Tjeh, Kevin and Ciska	11/3
Research on cooperative learning	Kevin	11/3
Research on explaining helps learning	Ciska	11/3
Research on educational games	Tjeh	11/3
Hypothesis and testplan creation	Sandor	11/3
Start implementing app	Sandor, Mex and Lucas	11/3
Contact teachers and parents	Sandor, Mex and Lucas	11/3

Schedule

Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Literature Reading	Interview preperation & further literature study	Conceptualizing	Building

In the first week, we will mainly focus on literature reading. Getting to know the state-of-the-art and the best approaches to teaching children is key to figuring out our design. Then in the second week, we will apply this knowledge to concept design. We will discuss and determine what our counting robot will look like, such that it fits all requirements. We will start building or simulating our design in the third and fourth weeks. Based on the literature and our finalised concept from week 2, we will determine whether we are building a physical robot, or just simulating it.

Week 5	Week 6	Week 7	Week 8
Finalizing Prototype	Testing	Final Adjustments	Documentation

In the fifth week, we should almost be done building/simulating and we can finalise our prototype. Then we will move on to testing in the sixth week. With the results of our tests, we can make some final adjustments to our robot in week 7. Throughout the entirety of our project, we will document our findings, but in week 8 we can finalise this to be readable.

Milestones

Throughout the project the team has several milestones to be reached, namely having:

• gathered sufficient knowledge of the domain's state of the art;
• found an open problem in the current state of the art;
• created a concept design for a solution to the problem;
• created a prototype for the concept design, this could be a physical prototype or simulation;
• created detailed documentation on the design so that the solution can be physically implemented.

Deliverables

We will have several deliverables throughout this project:

• After week 1: A set of 30 literary pieces about education, learning how to count, using visualisations for teaching
• After week 2: A concept, with sketches and a clear description of our intended prototype.
• After week 5: A first prototype.
• After week 7: A second prototype, debugged through testing.
• After week 8: A report on our findings.

Division

For the first week, the division will be pretty evenly distributed over the needed information for our meeting with the tutor on Monday, 19th of February. Once we have a good concept of our idea in week 2, we can clearly define tasks and divide these among everyone based on their skill set.

Introduction

We want to make a math game that helps children learn math together... (Literature : 1. Many education apps but they dont promote social interaciton... problem with screen time is that children have less social interaction. 2. Collaborative learning has some benefits like more interaction first of all. In case study students more motivated and teachers more satisfied with results. ) We will research if this is better to implement in an app or an robot.

USE

User

Children in group 3. 6 to 7 years old.

Society

Improves education of math for children

Enterprise

Sell these games to educators.

State of the art

https://cstwiki.wtb.tue.nl/wiki/PRE2019_3_Group8

https://cstwiki.wtb.tue.nl/wiki/PRE2020_3_Group9

PRE2020 3 Group10

...

Learning Methods

Subjects

https://www.rekenen-oefenen.nl/werkbladen

the CITO test of groep 3 test the folowing subjects.

addition until 20

subtraction until 20

reading clock

calculating with money

We will focus on addition and subtraction

Addition and subtraction techniques

- Find the ten. For example adding 7 + 5 first do 7 + 3 and then the remainder 2 to get 12.

- And they learn about how to split numbers quickly. Like 7 = 3 + 4.

-

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-45113-8_1#Sec5

Serious Gaming

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283575177_How_to_create_a_serious_game

- Important to work together with teachers

- Make it as easy as possible to integrate it into the learning methods they already have... so manuals tutorials ...

- It should not replace everything end all be all, but be complementary to the learning method they have...

https://www.scirp.org/html/1-6302085_46247.htm

- design phases of creating an serious game.

Criteria for a good serious game

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7414398/

Serious games is a combination of a game (enjoyment) with an educational goal.

Criteria for "Serious ":

• Characterizing goal
  • Focus on the characterizing goal
  • Clear goals
  • Indispensability of the characterizing goal
• Methods
  • Correctness of the domain expert content
  • Appropriate feedback on progress
  • Appropriate rewards
• Quality
  • Proof of effectiveness & sustainable effects
  • Awards and ratings

Criteria for "Game" :

• Enjoyment
  • Ensure player engagement and experience :
    • Ensure positive experience during playing
    • Serious games should be engaging and enjoyable (Koster’s theory of fun for game design
    • Provide an engaging experience for different player type
  • Ensure flow :
    • Keep a balance between a player’s skills and challenge (Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory
    • Dynamically adapt the difficulty level depending on the current player’s performance in the game
    • Adapt to players to increase effectiveness (eg, motivate them to repeat the exercises continuously and regularly)
    • Increase complexity as the player gets better (Bushnell’s theorem of “easy to learn
    • Provide varied gameplay
  • Establish an emotional connection
    • Allow emotions and arouse instinct
  • Sense of control
    • Players should have control over their actions in the game
  • Support social interactions
    • Provide different game modes (collaborative and competitive settings for players that perform better in groups)
  • Ensure immersive experience
    • include multimodal sensory stimulations: visual, audio, haptics, smell
    • Ensure the sense of “being there”
• Media presentation
  • Attractive graphics
  • Appropriate sound

Why teamwork?

we hope children help each other because then they need to explain to others which improves learning (insert source)

More social interactions, important for children in general.

Visualization of artihmatic

The research conducted by Hilary Barth, Kristen La Mont, Jennifer Lipton, and Elizabeth S. Spelke explores the mathematical abilities of preschool children, focusing on abstract number and arithmetic operations. The study involves a series of experiments, including visual comparisons, additions, and cross-modal tasks using both visual arrays and auditory sequences. The findings indicate that preschool children possess the ability to compare and add large sets of elements without counting, showing proficiency in abstract number representation. The research suggests that these mathematical abilities in young children precede formal education and symbolic arithmetic knowledge, emphasizing the importance of understanding the foundational role of abstract numerical concepts in early cognitive development.

The study investigated predictors of arithmetic learning and the impact of visual representations on the acquisition of addition skills. The first section explored the interrelations of pretest measures (addition, number line estimation, short-term memory for numbers, and math achievement) and their predictive relationship with learning four trained addition problems. The results indicated positive correlations among numerical proficiency measures, with number line estimation, addition, and math achievement strongly related. The second section examined the causal influence of computer-generated and self-generated visual representations on arithmetic learning. Analyses at pretest, end of training, and follow-up revealed significant predictors of improvement in percent absolute error (PAE) on trained addition problems, including pretest PAE on untrained addition problems, number line estimation, math achievement, and the linearity of number line estimates. The study demonstrated that exposure to accurate, computer-generated visual representations positively influenced arithmetic learning, emphasizing the importance of visual representations in numerical magnitude understanding and skill acquisition. The findings highlighted the nuanced relationship between various cognitive factors and arithmetic performance, providing valuable insights for educational practices.

When teaching kids addition and subtraction, it's good to use pictures and basic number ideas. Research with little kids shows they can understand big numbers and do simple math without formal teaching. So, using visuals like pictures and sounds can help make math easier for them. Another study looked at how different math skills are connected. They found that understanding numbers, drawing number lines, and doing well in math tests are related. So, when teaching addition and subtraction, it's smart to use pictures.

Collaborative Learning

The research aimed to see how working together in groups affects how well kids learn math in northern Israel. They looked at 195 teachers and 80 eighth-grade students from Arab schools. The students were split into two groups: one that tried group learning and another that stuck to regular learning. They used a questionnaire to ask teachers about how well group learning worked and also tested the students in math. The results showed that students who did group learning did better in math than those who did regular learning.

This study explores the impact of collaborative learning through information and communication technology (ICT), particularly mobile devices, in primary education. The project received positive evaluations from both teachers and the ICT support teacher. Teachers expressed satisfaction, motivation, and positive results, emphasizing the benefits of collaborative and active student work. Students, according to teachers, achieved learning objectives, developed teaching units, and assimilated contents effectively. The methodology, involving collaborative work and creativity with ICT, was considered motivating for students, fostering positive attitudes and teamwork.

The advantages highlighted by teachers included promoting teamwork, enhancing students' motivation to learn, developing digital competence, and positively impacting students with varying learning abilities. However, challenges were noted, such as the added workload for teachers, time complexity, organizational issues, technical problems related to ICT integration, and concerns about aligning with traditional assessment methodologies.

Student assessments, collected through a semantic differential questionnaire, indicated overwhelmingly positive feedback. Students found the project interesting, enjoyable, and useful, with high scores for understanding activities, concentration, and learning outcomes. The collaborative approach, use of ICT tools, and the teacher's support were well-received. The study concludes that collaborative learning with ICT positively influences student engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes, though challenges related to teacher workload and assessment methods persist.

Literature

Education of Mathematics

talk about how many children from low-income families struggle with mathematics and are performing on a lower level than their peers. Most children should enter school with some level of number skills. On these skills are built and more concepts are learned. These skills can be split into several types of knowledge. Preverbal number knowledge can already be shown in infants. They know how to represent a number in a nonverbal manner. This knowledge is as good as natural and does not require any outside input. However, after preverbal number knowledge, a child should develop symbolic number knowledge. This type of knowledge should be developed before and during the time the child goes to school, but does not come naturally. In their early childhood, they should be taught the following concepts: subitizing (recognizing sizes of sets without counting), counting, numerical magnitude comparisons (which number is bigger), estimation, and arithmetic operations.

Problems occur when learning these concepts. Many children count on their fingers, which leads to mathematics learning difficulties in the long run (this same problem might occur on our abacus).

To help children with mathematics learning difficulties, several solutions are effective. For example, board games involving linear number representations (such as chutes and ladders) .   

investigates the vulnerability of children in 4 domains of number arithmetic: Counting, Place Value, Addition/Subtraction strategies and Multiplication/Division strategies. They find that there is no single method of for describing children who have difficulties with mental arithmetic nor their instructional needs. It also finds that a student being vulnerable in one domain, does not imply that they are vulnerable in another.

asks the question of when to begin teaching arithmetic to children. At the time the paper was written, students were being taught arithmetic since the first grade. The question was then asked whether arithmetic should be postponed until a later grade. An earlier investigation concluded that arithmetic taught in the first two grades was not needed. It is shown that a subject should be taught when the student is ready for it, and has utilities for it outside of school. The author states that children are ready and have use-cases for arithmetic outside of school already in the first grade. Relating back to the earlier investigation that concluded that arithmetic taught in the first two grades was not needed, the author proposes that the arithmetic taught in these grades were simply not the right type of arithmetic. In the earlier grades, students should be exposed to concrete arithmetic rather than to abstract arithmetic.

Visualization and Education

shows how important visualisation is in education.

Robotics and children

gives an overview of the field of robotics in education. It provides classifications for robots in education, such as the domain or subject of the Learning Activity or where the learning takes place during the Learning Activity. It also discusses some open areas of researched which have not yet been investigated at the time.

gives an overview of the research into robots in education. The overview mainly consists of conclusions of experiments where robots were shown to have positive effects in education. One important take-away from the paper is that the social behaviour of educational robots should be tailored to the person being targeted. Examples and experiments of this are given in the paper.

Mobile apps in education

This article explores the integration of mobile devices, particularly iPads, with educational apps to enhance science learning in primary (elementary) schools. The study focuses on the use of science apps, particularly the Okiwibook series, to teach energy concepts to 10-11-year-old students. The research examines how students utilize app-based scaffolds during practical science activities and how teachers plan and facilitate app use in the learning process. The article emphasizes the potential benefits of technology, such as mobile devices, in supporting science education, including reducing cognitive load, visualizing complex scientific phenomena, and fostering engagement. The study identifies various app-based scaffolds that assist students in structuring experiments, understanding procedures, considering variable influences, and communicating outcomes. However, it also highlights limitations in the apps' ability to support conceptual knowledge development, emphasizing the crucial role of teachers, curriculum design, and task structure in achieving educational objectives. The research framework draws on the Zone of Proximal Development and considers technology as a scaffold, aligning with Vygotskian theory. The findings underscore the importance of dynamic classroom settings and effective positioning of technology-based scaffolds to support students' science learning effectively.

Smartphone Usage

Smartphone usage improves academic performance. Contradiction.

Screentime

This study looks into how too much time on screens can affect childrens cognitive, language, and social-emotional development. Screens can have an positive effect for learning, but spending too much time on them might make it harder to focus on school and other things. Language development is compromised by reduced interactions between children and caregivers. It can also cause problems like not being able to sleep well, and feelings like being sad or worried. The article suggests several strategies to manage and reduce children's screen time. One key recommendation is for parents to raise awareness about the potential risks associated with excessive screen exposure and actively set boundaries for their children. Utilizing parental controls, such as time limits and content restrictions, is emphasized as an effective means of regulating screen usage. Parents are encouraged to manage their own screen time to set a positive example for their children. Additionally, schools are encouraged to take a stand on screen time limits both inside and outside the classroom. Health professionals are advised to provide information to new parents about the impacts of screen exposure on newborns and toddlers.

More research

Collaborative Learning Focus

We shift our focus to be on the benefit of collaborative learning, rather than individual learning. From this, we will formulate a hypothesis about which type of learning is preferred. Then, after building a prototype, we will interview primary school teachers (groep 3/first grade) about their preference.

Collaborative learning (CL) is a form of learning in which different actors - possibly at different skill levels - work together to achieve a goal. In doing this, they boost each other .

Literature on collaborative learning

Collaborative working can improve social skills . On top of this, the improved group-work skills achieved during this research also helped moderate negative effects that can arise during discussions. Besides these social improvements, there were also gains in understanding of the subject matter because of the CL. This is highlighted as well in this study where improvements in English were made more successfully by using collaborative learning, highlighting the educational advancements.

Collaborative learning also helps shield a person from isolated thinking, or tunnel vision . It also "enhances students' satisfaction with their learning experiences, promotes self-esteem and develops skills in negotiation, organisation, leadership and evaluation."

Conceptualizing

Idea

When researching children's education, a component that pops up a lot is cooperation. Children learn better when working together. When looking at the current state-of-the art, most robots are not incorporating this into their design. Therefore, this design will be focused on that aspect. Instead of letting children interact with a robot or an app individually, they will be working together to solve the problems given by the device. The main idea is focused on addition, which can be best explained with a scenario.

Imagine two children sitting next to the device. The device will 'give' both children a different number of objects, for example apples. It will do so by either talking through a speaker, or displaying the apples on a screen. Then the device will then give a number the children have to sum to. So if child 1 gets 3 apples and child 2 gets 4 apples, the device might request 6 apples. The children then have to figure out how many apples they each have to give, such that the total becomes 6. There is already a version of this type of teaching addition, however it does not incorporate education.

Robot or App

Our digital concept can be realized using as hardware (a physical robot) or as software (an app / website). For this comparison we disregard websites, since websites can be embedded inside an app and apps are more easily accessible for users. This is due to the fact that apps are on the home screen of the device and don't require an (sometimes complicated) URL to access the app. We also disregard the fact that websites can act like apps using Powerful Web Applications (PWAs), for it is not important for this comparison. To figure out which of the two options works best, there will be two very simple prototypes of a robot and an app. Then with these, users, such as parents and teachers, will be interviewed on their opinions and preferences. Based on these interviews, one of the two designs will be chosen and built for the final deliverable.

A picture of the Teletubbies

The robot design

Robot

The use of robots in education is not new. There are multiple ways in which they can be employed; different subjects, but also different roles. There are three roles we can use; tutor, peer, and tool . In our case, peer and tool are the most interesting. As a peer, the robot serves as a fellow student, working together to solve exercises. This would work when the student doesn't have anyone else to practice with. On the other hand, when there are multiple users, it could simply work as a tool; facilitating the education for the students.

The design of the robot would be comparable to a Teletubbie. A Teletubbie, as shown on the right here, has a screen on its belly. It is important that next to counting children are also able to read an understand. So next to saying the summation out loud, the robot would display the objects and the number they have to sum to on its screen. The children can then press the number of apples they think is correct. Because of copyright reasons, the robot will of course not be an exact replica of a Teletubbie, but will be consist of a cute animal, like a penguin, with a screen on its belly. This will look something like the picture shown on the left here.

This design also has to be considered from a technical perspective. It would consist of a simple Arduino, which runs on a battery pack and is connected to a speaker and the screen. The robot would have an on and off buttons that disconnects the battery pack from the Arduino. When the robot is turned on, a menu is displayed where a level of difficulty can be chosen. When the children get better at addition from 1 - 5, there are levels for 1 - 10, 1 - 20 etc. If there is enough time during the project, the robot will also have different game modes, next to the previously described addition game.

The choice of a stuffed animal toy is supported by the fact that children tend to play longer with and feel more engaged with digital toys rather than simple stuffed toys . This shows that compared to a regular toy, children would be more likely to play with the digital toy, in our case, one that also teaches them about math.

A benefit of opting for the stuffed animal design is that it won't increase the amount of screen time besides the use of the educational tool. Since it is not an app on a tablet with other distracting apps.

App

The app can be downloaded on both iOS and Android, either on a tablet or a smartphone. Children can use this app both at school and at home. After launching the app, the number of players and their names need to be inserted. On the home screen, the user can select a game mode, for example, the addition game. The game functions similarly to playing with a robot. The app communicates with the players both audibly via speaker and visually through the screen. The app announces whose turn it is. After the player presses 'continue', the app displays a number of apples, and the player can choose how many apples they want. At any time during the game, the home button can be pressed to return to the home screen and select a new game. On the home screen, the user can also add or remove players and modify their names, or access settings. Here, settings such as music and sound effect volume can be adjusted.

Tablets and educational apps have increased in popularity for young children (insert source). Schools have also been adopting tablets for use in education over the last decade (find source). Therefore, along with other reasons, an app is a perfectly suitable choice for a realization platform for a digital concept.

Studies researching the affects of interactive math learning apps in early math learning have shown that these interactive learning apps have a positive affect on the early math learning compared to a control group with in-person instructions . Furthermore, apps are often easy to develop since the ecosystem of app development is large, both for iOS and Android. Since children often already are using tablets at school, the cost of adopting an education app is low. Either an app is free (app store), has a one-time fee (app store) or a monthly subscription (Squla). Most of the time these prices are low compared to physical robots such as the ones seen in the state of the art analysis (i.e. Sphero bolt is 220 euros and a squla subscription is 8.69 euro per month ).

Interview

Robot or app:

1. How do you think the look of the robot will affect the functionality? (Stuffed animals, plain robots or more a math looking robot)
2. What aspects of a robot being physical would affect the learning abilities and why?
3. What aspects of the User Interface of the app would help improve functionality?
4. How do you think the extra screen time that that comes with an app will effect the learning abilities?
5. Do you think children would benefit more from a physical robot that can interact with them or from an app on the tablet/computer? (Continue on this question by asking why)

Idea:

1. What is your stance on collaborative learning?
2. How will collaborative math learning influence the communication skills of the children?
3. How important is it for you to be able to track the progress of the children?
4. How do you think the device can balance the fun and educational aspects to keep children engaged with the product over time?
5. How do you think using objects to represent a number instead of using numbers will affect the learning of the child?
6. In which way do you think sound clues will affect the learning abilities?
7. How would you envision collaborative math in a classroom or home learning situation?
8. How can the learning tool make sure that both children feel actively involved and all want to contribute? (Instead of only letting one child do all the work)

Appendix

Logbook (140 / 8 = 17.5 hours per week)

Week	Name	Hours Spent	Total Week	Total Overall
1	Ciska	Meeting1 (2h), Brainstorm (1h), Meeting2 (4h), Working on Actionpoints (3h)	10	10
	Lucas	Meeting (2h), Meeting2 (4h), writing objectives (2hr)	8	8
	Mex	Meeting (2h), Meeting2 (4h)
	Sandor	Meeting (2h), Brainstorm (1h), Meeting2 (4h), Users(2h), Reading literature(3h)	12	12
	Tjeh	Meeting (2h), Brainstorm (1.5h), Meeting2 (4h)	7.5	7.5
	Kevin	Meeting (2h), Brainstorm (1h), Meeting2 (4h), writing approach (1.5h)	8.5	8.5
2	Ciska	Meeting (2h), Brainstorm (1h), Interview Questions (1h), Reading literature (4h)	8	18
	Lucas	-		8
	Mex
	Sandor	Meeting (2h), Interview Questions (1h), Reading literature (3h)	6	18
	Tjeh	Meeting (2h), Report (1h), Interview Questions (1h), State of the Art (6h)	10
	Kevin
3	Ciska	Meeting (3.5h), Research and read past projects (1h), Meeting2 (3h), Design robot protoype (1.5h)	9	27
	Lucas	Meeting (3.5h), Meeting (3h), Research on robots in education (3h)	9.5
	Mex	Meeting (3.5h)
	Sandor	Meeting (3.5h)
	Tjeh	Meeting (3.5h), Read old projects (3h), Literature Research (6h), Problem Statement (2h)
	Kevin	Meeting (3.5h)
4	Ciska	Meeting (2.5h)
	Lucas	Meeting (2.5h), collaborative literature research (2h)
	Mex	Meeting (2.5h)
	Sandor	Meeting (2.5h)
	Tjeh	Meeting (2.5h), Literature Research (1h)
	Kevin	Meeting (2.5h)

Approach

The objective of our robot is to help teach young children to count, and do simple arithmetic calculations. The way in which we aim to facilitate this is by letting the children explore the robot, while also providing nudges towards the correct answers, along with simple rewards for good results.  \\

Over the course of this project, we will create a simulation of our prototype that can be used for testing. However, we will not be testing the prototype on our target group, since our target group is very young children. Our goal is to provide a working simulation that responds appropriately to user inputs, testing different methods of reward and timing for nudges.

Approach

The digital abacus has 10 horizontal rods, each containing 10 beads. These beads can be slided by the user or by the robot itself using motors. The abacus has sensors to measure the position of each bead. It has 5 buttons: The goal button, check button, reset button, solve button and another button to switch between the different modes.

The abacus can be used to teach children how to count. When the goal button is pressed, the robot gives the user a random goal number using the speaker and shows that number on a display. If the user presses this button again, the speaker states the goal number again. When another button, the check button, is pressed. The robot tells the user what the current number of beads on the left side of the abacus is. If this number matches the goal number, the user wins and a victory jingle is played. When the reset button is pressed, all beads move to the right side of the abacus and the goal number gets reset. When the solve button is pressed, the abacus shows the solution by using the motors to move the correct amount of beads to the left, one by one, while using the speaker to count the number of beads it slides.

The abacus can also be used to teach children how to perform addition and subtraction. When the goal button is pressed, the robot gives an operation like 3+3 or 5-2. Just like the counting problem, the user tries to solve the problem and presses the check button to check if the task is performed correctly. Here, the top row represents the ones, the second row represents the tens etc. Multiplication and division can also be done using the abacus. Then, every row represents the ones. In the operation 3x2 for example, the user may slide 2 beads of the first 3 rows to the left. The user may use a button to change between the different modes.

Plan

Many children struggle with learning how to count. Addition and multiplication are difficult subject to master, so we want to develop a digital device to help teachers and students: a digital abacus. First we will look into visual learning and how to teach math using visualisation, which we can then apply when designing the device. Then we will start designing either a physical prototype or a simulation of our counting device.

State of the Art

Squla

Squla, an online learning platform catering to children in grades 1 to 8, is designed for both classroom and home use. Focusing on math education, the platform uses the adaptive quizzes to help kids practice at their own level. The difficulty of the questions adjusts automatically based on the child's proficiency. The quizzes cover various topics, starting with basic arithmetic and progressing to more complex challenges like word problems and money calculations. The adaptive nature ensures that each child operates within their optimal learning zone. The adaptability of Squla is facilitated by algorithms, a variety of questions targeting specific learning goals, and the active participation of many students. The process involves determining the initial level through five questions, refining this assessment over a 20-minute period. Squla ensures a tailored learning experience for each child, enhancing math skills in an engaging manner.

Tale Bot

In addition to learning, Squla introduces a motivational element. Children earn coins through correct answers, regular gameplay, and participation in minigames. These coins can be exchanged for rewards, avatars, or crafts. In addition Squla offers parents the ability to track their child's progress through an overview of the exercises completed. This feature, accessible through the parent account, allows for a clear understanding of the skills mastered by the child over time, fostering an informed approach to education.

Ambrasoft

Similarly, Ambrasoft, another educational software platform, focuses on making children's learning of mathematics enjoyable. The program employs a variety of engaging activities and games to make the learning process enjoyable for young learners. Through its user-friendly interface, Ambrasoft offers a range of math exercises that cover fundamental concepts such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The platform tailors its content to different age groups and skill levels, ensuring that each child receives a personalized learning experience.

Children using Ambrasoft are presented with colorful and visually appealing challenges that not only reinforce their understanding of mathematical concepts but also promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The platform incorporates a rewards system, providing positive reinforcement for correct answers and achievements, which further motivates children to actively participate in their learning journey. Additionally, like Squla, Ambrasoft allows parents and educators to track the progress of each child, enabling them to identify areas that may require additional focus or support.

Sphero

TaleBot Pro

TaleBot Pro, an engaging educational robot for children aged 3 to 5, it introduces coding, problem-solving, and basic math skills in a user-friendly manner. The TaleBot Pro utilizes buttons on the robot itself for movement, making it accessible for preschoolers. Focusing on math education, the TaleBot Pro features an interactive map tailored for counting activities. It is a colorful map divided into sections, with some tiles representing different numbers. With simple commands like "move forward" or "turn," the robot follows an exciting story that involves counting challenges. Each section on the map helps kids associate numbers with specific locations, enhancing both numerical understanding and spatial awareness.

As kids navigate through counting challenges using the buttons, the robot provides instant feedback, creating a positive and supportive learning environment. In essence, the TaleBot Pro transforms math into an enjoyable adventure, combining storytelling, button-based navigation, and counting to make early education engaging for young learners. https://en.matatalab.com/talebotpro2.html

Sphero Bolt

Similarly, Sphero BOLT, a playful and interactive robot, serves as a fun tool for introducing mathematical concepts to young learners. Through programming the BOLT's movements and activities, users engage with fundamental mathematical principles. For instance, they can explore distance and speed by commanding the robot to move specific distances or at varying speeds. The robot's ability to follow programmed paths encourages an understanding of geometry and spatial relationships. This hands-on approach to coding with the Sphero BOLT provides an effective way for children to learn and apply mathematical concepts in a real-world context, fostering a connection between programming and foundational math skills.

Marty

Focussing on math for example, engaging math activities for young children, ages 3 to 5, can be created with Sphero Bolt. One exciting game is "Decimal Shake," introducing basic addition and the concept of decimals. In this game, children take turns shaking the BOLT to generate decimals, adding them together with the goal of getting as close as possible to 1.0. The physical interaction with the BOLT adds an element of strategy, turning math into a playful and competitive learning experience. https://edu.sphero.com/collection/166

Marty

Marty the Robot serves as a friendly and educational companion designed to bring excitement and accessibility to coding and STEM education. Resembling a mini-humanoid, Marty moves, dances, and can be programmed using various languages, from the beginner-friendly Scratch to Python. Whether in the classroom learning counting and adding or delving into robotics fundamentals, Marty sparks curiosity, transforming abstract concepts into interactive experiences for learners of all ages.

Focucsing on math for example, in a lesson about counting, Marty turns basic math into a dynamic and enjoyable experience. Children embark on a learning journey with Marty, mastering counting from one to five. The lesson begins with an animated warm-up game, encouraging children to move and count their steps based on different statements. This lively start energizes the learners and creates anticipation for the engaging activities that follow. During the "Time for Practice" segment, Marty's pre-programmed code comes into play. His synchronized arm movements provide a clear and visual representation of counting and adding concepts. The lesson concludes with a reflective "Cool Down" session, where children discuss their successes and challenges. This provides valuable insights for the teacher to gauge comprehension and offer additional support as needed. Marty serves not just as an educator but also as a motivator, making the learning journey a joyful and enriching experience for young minds. https://learn.robotical.io/lesson-pack/mathematics-add-and-compare-up-to-five

Users

Between 2% and 10% of the world population has Dyscalculia , this means that those people have much harder time learning mathematics than most other people. Which calls for a lot of extra practise, for those people it would be fun to have an tool that helps you and give feedback on the calculations, making them potential users for the product.

Furthermore, everyone on earth has to learn how to count and calculate at some point in their life, and it has been proven that for most people a visual explanation helps to see how mathematics works and makes it easier to do the calculations . That means that also ground schools would be possible users of our product, to help the teacher teach this to the students.

Another user would be office workers that have to add a lot of numbers. Of course it seems logical to use an actual calculator at first. But adding the visualisation to the calculator gives a much better overview of whats happening to the numbers than adding raw numbers, this could reduce the amount of errors made, which would be very helpful for companies.

Interview Questions

Questions for teachers.

1. What challenges do you face in teaching elementary math to your students?
2. Can you share any specific math topics or skills that you find challenging to teach effectively?
3. What types of resources or tools do you currently use to enhance math learning in the classroom?
4. In your experience, what approaches or teaching methods have been most successful in engaging for your students?
5. How do you assess the progress and understanding of math concepts among your preschool students?

Questions for parents.

1. What challenges do you face in teaching elementary math to your kid?

1. Can you share any specific math topics or skills that you notice your kid finds challenging?
2. What types of resources or tools do you currently use to enhance math learning with your kid?
3. In your experience, what approaches have been most successful in engaging your kid?
4. How do you assess the progress and understanding of math concepts with your kid?

Question using the Likert scale. Statements are ranked on a scale from 1 to 7, where 1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=somewhat disagree, 4=neither agree nor disagree, 5=somewhat agree, 6=agree and 7=strongly agree. Some questions are rewritten from questions above. Questions are for evaluative purposes.

1. The individual game variants will help children learn how to add and subtract.
2. The collaborative game variants will help children learn how to add and subtract.
3. The individual game variants will motivate children to learn how to add and subtract.
4. The collaborative game variants will motivate children to learn how to add and subtract.
5. I would use the individual game variants in my lessons.
6. I would use the collaborative game variants in my lessons.