“Spatial thinking is integral to everyday life. People, natural objects, human-made objects, and human-made structures exist somewhere in space, and the interactions of people and things must be understood in terms of locations, distances, directions, shapes, and patterns.”
-National Research Council
For an overview about how to help students make – and sustain – gains in their learning and understanding of mathematics check out the short but mighty Paying Attention to Spatial Reasoning from the Ontario Ministry of Education. Resting on a rigorous research base, this publication outlines seven foundational principles for focusing on spatial reasoning in the classroom. It also provides useful examples of what paying attention to spatial reasoning can look like in K-12 math classrooms.
Malke Rosenfeld delights in creating rich environments in which children and their adults can explore, make, play, and talk math based on their own questions and inclinations. Her upcoming book, Math on the Move: Engaging Students in Whole Body Learning, will be published by Heinemann in Fall 2016.