About

Dor Abrahamson is the Director of the Embodied Design Research Laboratory (EDRL) at UC Berkeley. His work centers on embodied design research, focusing on integrating hands-on, embodied learning experiences into educational contexts, particularly in mathematics and STEM education. One of the key activities developed within his research framework is the Embodied Icosahedron, a collaborative learning-by-building exercise that engages teacher groups in exploring geometry content through constructing a body-scale geometrical structure. This activity exemplifies the laboratory's emphasis on embodied professional development and the use of physical interaction to deepen conceptual understanding. Under Abrahamson's leadership, the EDRL pursues various projects that bring embodied learning into educational practice. For example, the TeleTangibles project aims to inclusively introduce hands-on, embodied learning resources into the current educational landscape by creating a new genre of STEM tools called TeleTangibles. Another project, OЯTHO, is a two-player tabletop game designed to cultivate coordinate perception through cooperative play. Other initiatives include the Students Tracking Angular Rotation Recorder (STARR), which engages learners in culturally situated mathematical activities, and Geometry Resources in Dance (GRiD), which bridges mathematics and dance through a gridded floor mat. These projects reflect Abrahamson's commitment to developing innovative, embodied approaches to teaching and learning mathematics. The laboratory under Abrahamson's direction also emphasizes the importance of culturally relevant pedagogies and inclusive practices in STEM education. His work supports the creation of learning environments that foster somatic awareness, logical reasoning, and conceptual understanding through multimodal and embodied engagements. Contact information listed for Dor Abrahamson includes his email (dor at berkeley.edu) and office location (Office 4110), indicating his active role in the academic community at UC Berkeley.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Psychology
• Mathematics education
• Human–computer interaction
• Epistemology
• Pedagogy
• Cognitive science
• Sociology
• Mathematics
• Multimedia
• Engineering

Selected publications

• Building knowledge: the ecological dynamics of co-operative action in collaborative construction of body-scale geometric structures

  Journal of the Learning Sciences · 2026-03-17 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Enacting genericity: Coming to see the general in the particular while proving with manipulatives, diagrams, and symbols

  Research Square · 2026-01-13

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The emergence of sign–tool hybridity in situated geometry practice: a networking perspective

  Educational Studies in Mathematics · 2026-03-12

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract A design-based research project evaluating novel resources for culturally situated embodied geometry learning occasioned an opportunity for the researchers to consider conceptual relations between two prominent neo-Vygotskian theories, the semiotic–cultural theory of objectification by Luis Radford and instrumental genesis by Pierre Vérillon and Pierre Rabardel. We examine the case of Nath, an 11-year-old student who spontaneously created sign–tool hybridity in the form of a single artifact functioning fluidly as either a semiotic means of objectification or a cognitive instrument supporting his inquiry and argumentation. From an ecological standpoint, the hybridity arose through a perception–action coupling in which the artifact’s meaning and utility co-evolved with the unfolding cultural activity. Analyzing the artifact exclusively as either semiotic or instrumental may compromise the synthetic coherence of an enactivist theoretical modeling. Interfacing epistemologically affiliated theoretical perspectives on the ontology and cognitive function of educational resources may enable researchers to better understand the resources’ rich pedagogical affordances and, thereby, render these affordances accessible to students. Moreover, practicing epistemologically pluralist learning environments, where students are left to tinker with available resources into new semiotic–cum–instrumental objects of their own device, in turn may afford researchers likewise to tinker with available theories toward greater explanatory power.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Sympathetic Orchestra: A Responsive Virtual Orchestra for Embodied Interpretive Practice in Conducting

  2026-04-13

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Learning to conduct effectively depends on a tight loop between perception and action, in which students’ hand gestures are continuously shaped by audible and situational feedback. However, students often rehearse with static recordings that cannot response to their physical actions or interpretive intentions. This breaks the feedback needed to develop tacit musical knowledge, such as how timing, cueing, balance, and phrasing are communicated through embodied motion. We present Sympathetic Orchestra, a real time interactive system that maps conducting gestures to dynamically responsive orchestral play, making the consequences of actions immediately perceivable. The system reveals higher engagement and distinct interaction patterns that show how responsive feedback supports the development of tacit musical understanding through embodied practice.

  PublisherDOI

• Grounding Mathematics Learning in Culturally Authentic Movement Practices: From Attentional Anchors in Balinese Dancing to Auxiliary Lines in Geometry Reasoning

  Proceedings. · 2025-06-10 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Solving geometry problems often requires generating auxiliary lines.Yet, learning to generate auxiliary lines is challenging, because it involves envisioning figural elements that by definition are not yet overtly available for students' visual sensing or teachers' direct indexing.Espousing an enactivist perspective, this design-based research project explores dance as a culturally authentic grounding context for geometrical reasoning.Learning new dance movements often elicits the spontaneous mental generation of attentional anchors, imaginary perceptual structures enabling dancers to perform complex coordinations.We conjectured that, given appropriate semiotic resources, dancers could objectify their tacit attentional anchors from dance practice as explicit auxiliary lines for geometry practice.We report on a pilot evaluation of GRiD, a low-cost resource for blending dance and geometry.Microgenetic analysis of a young Balinese dancer's multimodal actions and utterances reveals the emergence of an interdisciplinary nexus of practice imbricating dance and mathematics and benefiting both discourses.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Systematics review of the interdisciplinary exchange among mathematics education and neuroscience

  ZDM · 2025-06-09 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract This paper presents systematic survey of empirical studies that implement neurocognitive tools to study mathematical processing, learning and problem solving. The survey comprised three stages: identification, screening, and analysis. The search was restricted to English-language papers published in research journals. Of a total of 35,692 records that were identified initially, 598 papers were found eligible for precise data analysis through screening procedure. The bibliometric analysis focused on publication years, journals and authors as well as on collaboration between the researchers. In the content analysis, along with the analysis of neurocognitive tools used in the studies, we screened the papers for the groups of research participants; mathematical topics, concepts and skills examined in the studies. We found that there has been tremendous growth in the past decade in the use of neurocognitive tools to research mathematics learning. The most commonly used tools are the fMRI, EEG, and eye tracking, while use of tools such as GSR and fNIRS remains highly uncommon. There is a strong focus on studying arithmetic, and a recent trend toward examining problem-solving skills, but higher mathematics learning and equation solving remain under-researched. Finally, we found that despite the immense growth in neuroscience research relevant to mathematics education, few studies of this type are published in mathematics education journals.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Beyond Dualism: Embodiment and Development

  Human Development · 2025-11-10

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• In their hands: Multimodal learning analytics as reflective-practice resources empowering mathematics teachers’ professional development

  Learning and Instruction · 2025-11-26 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Educational researchers have been using multimodal data (e.g., eye-tracking) to study teachers’ instructional practices. Yet, by and large, these technologies have not been handed over to teachers as resources for self-reflection. This exploratory study aimed to develop and evaluate novel methodologies for supporting teachers in using multimodal data, specifically eye-tracking-overlaid multiple-point-of-view videos, as resources for deepening their understanding of learning and teaching. Five pre-service mathematics teachers (PSMT) participated in this study. First, they collaboratively constructed a body-scale polyhedron while wearing eye-tracking devices. In a subsequent structured reflection session, the participants collectively analyzed eye-tracking-overlaid multiple-point-of-view recordings of their construction activity. Drawing on Goodwin's Co-Operative Action theory, the researchers then qualitatively micro-analyzed the PSMTs' individual and interactive multimodal behaviors in both activities. The technology enabled the PSMTs to highlight, code, and elaborate on nuanced aspects of individuals’ perceptual and social behaviors during the construction activity. These insights led to a spontaneous generalization of pedagogical implications for their own prospective facilitation of classroom group work. Supplementing PSMTs' video-based reflection on their own activity with multiple-point-of-view gaze data from their mobile eye trackers enriches the PSMTs’ microgenetic analysis of their own collaborative multimodal learning process, in turn potentially leading more generally to pedagogical inferences for their own prospective professional practice. • Comparing POV eye-tracking videos aids teachers' reflection on teaching. • Gaze-overlaid video reveals cognitive and social group task dynamics. • Eye-tracking analysis helps math teachers shift views from learner to practitioner. • Mobile eye-tracking shows potential for supporting professional vision development. • Developing teachers' professional vision blends expert noticing with learners' view.

  PublisherDOI

• Generative <scp>AI</scp> and multimodal data for educational feedback: Insights from embodied math learning

  British Journal of Educational Technology · 2025-04-21 · 27 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract This study explores the role of generative AI (GenAI) in providing formative feedback in children's digital learning experiences, specifically in the context of mathematics education. Using multimodal data, the research compares AI‐generated feedback with feedback from human instructors, focusing on its impact on children's learning outcomes. Children engaged with a digital body‐scale number line to learn addition and subtraction of positive and negative integers through embodied interaction. The study followed a between‐group design, with one group receiving feedback from a human instructor and the other from GenAI. Eye‐tracking data and system logs were used to evaluate student's information processing behaviour and cognitive load. The results revealed that while task‐based performance did not differ significantly between conditions, the GenAI feedback condition demonstrated lower cognitive load and students show different visual information processing strategies among the two conditions. The findings provide empirical support for the potential of GenAI to complement traditional teaching by providing structured and adaptive feedback that supports efficient learning. The study underscores the importance of hybrid intelligence approaches that integrate human and AI feedback to enhance learning through synergistic feedback. This research offers valuable insights for educators, developers and researchers aiming to design hybrid AI‐human educational environments that promote effective learning outcomes. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic? Embodied learning approaches have been shown to facilitate deeper cognitive processing by engaging students physically with learning materials, which is especially beneficial in abstract subjects like mathematics. GenAI has the potential to enhance educational experiences through personalized feedback, making it crucial for fostering student understanding and engagement. Previous research indicates that hybrid intelligence that combines AI with human instructors can contribute to improved educational outcomes. What this paper adds? This study empirically examines the effectiveness of GenAI‐generated feedback when compared to human instructor feedback in the context of a multisensory environment (MSE) for math learning. Findings from system logs and eye‐tracking analysis reveal that GenAI feedback can support learning effectively, particularly in helping students manage their cognitive load. The research uncovers that GenAI and teacher feedback lead to different information processing strategies. These findings provide actionable insights into how feedback modality influences cognitive engagement. Implications for practice and/or policy The integration of GenAI into educational settings presents an opportunity to enhance traditional teaching methods, enabling an adaptive learning environment that leverages the strengths of both AI and human feedback. Future educational practices should explore hybrid models that incorporate both AI and human feedback to create inclusive and effective learning experiences, adapting to the diverse needs of learners. Policymakers should establish guidelines and frameworks to facilitate the ethical and equitable adoption of GenAI technologies for learning. This includes addressing issues of trust, transparency and accessibility to ensure that GenAI systems are effectively supporting, rather than replacing, human instructors.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• TriO: A Multiplayer, Immersive, Virtual Environment for Exploring R3

  Digital Experiences in Mathematics Education · 2025-09-08

  article
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: Debugging Failure: Fostering Youth Academic Resilience in Computer Science

  NSF · $645k · 2016–2020

• EXP: Collaborative Research: Gesture Enhancement of Virtual Agent Mathematics Tutors

  NSF · $283k · 2013–2017

Frequent coauthors

• Sofia Tancredi

  23 shared

• Uri Wilensky

  Northwestern University

  16 shared

• Virginia J. Flood

  14 shared

• Rachel S. Y. Chen

  Nanyang Technological University

  13 shared

• Dragan Trninić

  ETH Zurich

  13 shared

• Christina M. Krause

  10 shared

• Arthur Bakker

  Utrecht University

  9 shared

• Filippo Gomez

  University of California, Berkeley

  9 shared

Labs

• Embodied Design Research LaboratoryPI

Awards & honors

• National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowshi…
• National Science Foundation grants for developing a naturali…
• National Science Foundation grants for fostering children's…
• Best Submission—Dr. Arthur I. Karshmer Award for Assistive T…
• Finalist, Best Paper, IJCCI 2021