Learning to Think Spatially examines how spatial thinking might be incorporated into existing standards-based instruction across the school curriculum. Spatial thinking must be recognized as a fundamental part of K–12 education and as an integrator and a facilitator for problem solving across the curriculum. With advances in computing technologies and the increasing availability of geospatial data, spatial thinking will play a significant role in the information-based economy of the twenty-first century. Using appropriately designed support systems tailored to the K–12 context, spatial thinking can be taught formally to all students. A geographic information system (GIS) offers one example of a high-technology support system that can enable students and teachers to practice and apply spatial thinking in many areas of the curriculum.
- FrontMatter
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- Contents
- Executive Summary
- 1 Introduction
- Part I The Nature and Functions of Spatial Thinking
- 2 The Nature of Spatial Thinking
- 3 Spatial Thinking in Everyday Life, at Work, and in Science
- 4 Teaching and Learning About Spatial Thinking
- 5 Responding to the Need for Spatial Thinkers
- 6 Tools for Thought: The Concept of a Support System
- Part II Support for Spatial Thinking
- 7 High-Tech Support Systems for Spatial Thinking
- 8 An Assessment of GIS as a System for Supporting Spatial Thinking in the K–12 Context
- 9 GIS as a Support System for Spatial Thinking
- Part III Supporting Spatial Thinking in the Future
- 10 Conclusions and Recommendations
- 11 The Spatial Thinker
- References
- Appendixes
- Appendix A Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff
- Appendix B Oral Presentations and Written Statements
- Appendix C Individual Differences in Spatial Thinking: The Effects of Age, Development, and Sex
- Appendix D The Role of Spatial Representations in Learning, Problem Solving, and Transfer
- Appendix E Software Descriptions and Resources
- Appendix F What is GIScience?
- Appendix G The Introduction of GIS into K–12 Education
- Appendix H Seasonal Differences: A Customized Eighth-Grade GIS Module
- Appendix I List of Acronyms
- Index
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