At the 9th International Conference “MoNGeometrija 2023.” held in Novi Sad, June 7-10, 2023, the paper entitled “LEARNING WHILE PLAYING – THROUGIE PLATFORM FOR CREATING MODELS OF SPATIAL STRUCTURES” by Dr. Marija Obradović and Dr. Slobodan Mišić, members of the RELATE project team, was presented.
The paper describes the process of creating the “THROUGIE” platform for creative play and education,
which enables the construction of various models of spatial structures. This set of tools allows users
(children, pupils, students) to create spatial forms using uniform elements: rods and predefined nodal
connections, experimenting with different arrangements and combinations of the elements. The game
employs a STEM approach to learning and the “learning by doing” method to provide knowledge about
the spatial relationships of elements and the static properties of structures through play. All model
elements are treated as building blocks that can be assembled, disassembled, and reused multiple
times, allowing for an unlimited number of experiments.
The features of the THROUGIE platform were tested during a specially organized workshop with a
selected group of first-year students from the Faculty of Applied Arts, University of Arts in Belgrade. The
research results showed that the proposed tool effectively combines play with learning about shapes
and the basic principles of statics that make structures stable. Additionally, manual model creation can
lead to successful, creative solutions for spatial transformable structures in terms of design and
construction.