Hair Math is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) in which players explore mathematical concepts, particularly braid theory and knot theory, through culturally grounded collaborative storytelling. This Work in Progress presents the theoretical framework and design methodology underlying Hair Math, situating the game within Freirean pedagogy and play theory to argue for narrative-based STEM learning as an alternative to assessment-driven instruction. We examine a central tension in this work: if mathematical understanding is meant to emerge through story, play, and cultural meaning-making, what is being assessed and how? Drawing on design-based research, we present an observational methodology for tracking engagement, mathematical reasoning, and affective experience during gameplay. We report on a preliminary informal pilot session with adults and describe plans for expanded testing with middle and high school students in informal learning environments.
This paper discusses preliminary findings from the first of a series of co-design sessions which collaboratively explored and mapped out invisible aspects of paediatric condition management (CM), highlighting areas of unmet need and factors that may impact future assistive technology innovation. These creative sessions involved children and young people, their parents, healthcare professionals and teachers to map out a multi-perspective understanding of CM within the Cerebral Palsy (CP) and Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis ( JIA) populations. Using creative tangible methods, externalised and made many aspects of the CM landscape visible from each stakeholder perspective, enabling an in-depth and holistic understanding, highlighting areas of unmet need to focus our co-design on. By grounding innovations within a holistic, multi-perspective understanding of the complex CM landscape from the outset, resulting assistive technologies will better respond to the unique needs and contexts of the paediatric population.
This paper presents the co-design and ongoing refinement of a humanoid educational robot for accessible mathematics education in Irish primary schools. The co-design process focuses on students with dyslexia (SwD), for whom mathematics performance can be shaped by mathematical understanding, reading load, wording, and limited response formats. Across four primary schools, 69 students (male and female, aged 6-12, from first to sixth class) and 9 teachers contributed to iterative co-design and prototype testing, supported by ongoing consultation with an expert in inclusive pedagogy and special educational needs. The co-designed prototype robot presents tasks through audio, animation, and visual prompts, and supports student responses via push buttons, touchscreen input, and on-screen drawing. The prototype robot is programmed to address six areas of primary mathematics: comparing numbers, money recognition, mixed operations, variables and equations, patterns and sequences, and 2D/3D shapes and locations. This paper demonstrates that the strongest immediate role for the robot is accessible informal assessment, where teachers retain interpretive control while students gain multiple ways to demonstrate understanding. It also outlines how the same robotic platform can be extended into a tutoring mode in which students teach the robot and correct its mistakes before moving into informal assessment on the same topic. This paper frames the proposed extension as a grounded next step in the robot's co-design process, providing a practical direction for the next phase of the robot's development.
Assessing the usability of interactive systems for preschool children poses considerable difficulties due to their restricted verbal abilities, short attention spans, and tendency to favor adult researchers. Moreover, although numerous technologies for children are intended for group interaction, typical assessment approaches are still predominantly focused on individual use. This work presents the Ape-raisal, a tangible, collaborative usability assessment tool inspired by a "monkey and bananas" analogy. The tool converts a 5-point Likert scale into a tangible, fabric-based tool where children work together to "feed" monkeys to indicate their levels of engagement and satisfaction. We carried out a pilot study involving 32 children divided into six groups, utilizing a parallel triangulation method that integrated children's self-reported information from the Ape-raisal with a systematic researcher observation framework. Our results indicate a connection between the concrete reports (Mean = 4.06, Median = 5) and the visible behavioral signs of high engagement and usability. These findings indicate that tangible and cooperative tools can successfully enable young children to participate as co-designers, offering trustworthy feedback in a group-oriented setting.
Digital storytelling has been widely explored in mathematics education to situate abstract problems within meaningful narrative contexts. However, most existing systems present stories through static media such as text and images, offering limited opportunities for active engagement. In this paper, we present MathsTale, a storytelling web application we developed for teaching children abstract mathematical problems through interactive multimodal stories. The system adopts a multi-agent architecture and leverages generative artificial intelligence to produce narrative text, images, and executable code for interactive hands-on activities. To explore its potential, we conducted a preliminary user study involving children and teachers using semi-structured interviews. Findings suggest that interactive multimodal stories can enhance children's understanding, enjoyment, and engagement in learning mathematical problems.
