Book

Making Space

Abstract: (from ERIC abstract): This book deals with the development of the child’s notion about space. The authors’ investigations have been concerned with the order and manner in which children begin to imagine or visualize the various spatial entities and

…we can order component tasks of spatial thinking in terms of relative difficulty. The first and easiest step is extracting spatial structures. This process of pattern description involves identifying relations between the components of a spatial representation and understanding them

: It is the concept of space that makes spatial thinking a distinctive form of thinking. By understanding the meanings of space, we can use its properties (e.g., dimensionality, continuity, proximity, separation) as a vehicle for structuring problems, finding answers,

: To think spatially entails knowing about (1) space—for example, the relationships among units of measurement (e.g., kilometers versus miles), different ways of calculating distance (e.g., miles, travel time, travel cost), the basis of coordinate systems (e.g., Cartesian versus polar

: In Chapter 1, the committee defines spatial thinking as a constructive amalgam of three elements: concepts of space, tools of representation, and processes of reasoning. Space provides the conceptual and analytical framework within which data can be integrated, related,

A skilled spatial thinker is capable of detecting spatial patterns and regularities from a sparse, discontinuous, and error-laden data set. A skilled spatial thinker can depict and interpret spatial information despite noisy, ugly data. A skilled spatial thinker is also

: A model of the acquisition of expertise in spatial thinking involves at least four components: 1. Domain-specific long-term memory of patterns: in order to learn to identify patterns in a knowledge domain more rapidly and accurately, one needs to

: The benefits of practicing spatial thinking initially tend to be domain specific, and as is the case for other forms of expertise, learning to think spatially is best conducted in the context of the types of materials one is