The mold factory is a digital learning environment for primary school children that spatial reasoning, problem-solving, and algorithmic thinking This fosters learning. In a virtual factory, children configure machines that modify geometric workpieces step by step: they punch holes, draw lines, and rotate shapes. Through immediate visual feedback, they directly observe the effects of their decisions.
The app was developed jointly by Prof. Dr. Günter Krauthausen and Junior Professor Dr. Christian Urff developed. It contains No advertising, no tracking, and no in-app purchases..
Download the app
Introductory video for teachers
In approximately two and a half minutes, the video demonstrates the app's key functions and provides initial suggestions for its use in the classroom.
What does the app offer?
The mold factory has five factory halls, which open up different didactic approaches:
- Experiment – Explore freely, combine machines as desired, and enable discovery-based learning.
- predictions – Wie sieht das Ergebnis einer Fertigungsstraße aus? Vorher überlegen, dann überprüfen. Das fördert die mentale Simulation und das räumliche Denken.
- Make – The appropriate machines must be found for a given target workpiece. This promotes backward thinking and problem-solving.
- Repair – Eine fehlerhafte Fertigungsstraße muss korrigiert werden. Dies fördert die systematische Analyse und das präzise Vergleichen von IST- und SOLL-Zustand.
- Savings – Eine funktionierende, aber unnötig lange Fertigungsstraße soll verkürzt werden; dabei werden Redundanzen entdeckt.
Three machine types are available: the Hole punch (punches round or square holes in different positions), which Line machine (draws lines of varying thicknesses) and the lathe (rotates the workpiece by 45°, 90°, 135° or 180°).
In the warehouse Children can save, sort, and group their production lines by end product and share them with classmates via QR code or code. This can be used as a basis for math conferences.
Over four difficulty levels (from easy to expert mode) the requirements can be flexibly adjusted.
Didactic focus areas
The shape factory addresses key guiding principles of primary school mathematics instruction – in particular Space and form as well as Patterns and structures – und kann für die Förderung prozessbezogener Kompetenzen wie Kommunizieren, Argumentieren, Problemlösen und Darstellen genutzt werden.
Guidelines for teachers
A comprehensive guide with didactic background information, task ideas, and methodological suggestions for classroom use has been published to accompany the app. It is available for free download.
Contact
Feedback, suggestions, and practical experience reports are very welcome. Please feel free to write to us via email at christian.urff@ph-weingarten.de or krauthausen@uni-hamburg.de.