Fostering Spatial Visualization Through Augmented Reality in Calculus Learning

We are part of a team of educational innovation that aims to transform the teaching and learning of Calculus through the integration of digital technologies. We are looking to foster a visual and tangible learning of Mathematics. As a team of educational research we care for developing mathematical cognitive skills that are not explicit in curriculum but have been taken for granted. Most of them is basic to the understanding of mathematics and are useful in the process of problem solving. Spatial visualization, for example, has been taken as an innate skill in students, however, experience with teaching solids of revolution, may question whether this is really the case. We identify spatial visualization as a cross-curriculum content and take the task of designing an educational technological resource to improve this skill. We have investigated the benefits of Augmented Reality technology for learning Calculus. The purpose of this paper is to present the AR Application we have developed to promote spatial visualization. Elements of its design as educational resource will be discussed in order to situate its use in ordinary Calculus I, II and III courses at college. In this paper we want to share aspects about application design as a whole, but will deepen in Calculus II level, where the visualization of solids of revolution takes place. Finally we share the kind of experience we have had with students and looking for better learning experiences for current and future generations.