Spatial Reasoning Development in the K12 Environment

Spatial awareness, spatial, reasoning, spatial visualization, and spatial abilities are various terms all related to various ideas or aspects of spatial ability. From infancy throughout our life spans spatial awareness is embedded in our lives in ways we do not realize. Spatial reasoning is one of the foundational key concepts in mathematics and has been shown to be highly correlated with success in mathematics overall. Higher levels of spatial reasoning are critical in many STEM fields. However, it is an area in which students struggle for competency. Studies have shown that boys generally are better than girls at spatial relationships, beginning at an early age. It is not clear how much is part of the difference in the ways the brain works and how much is part of the environment and experiences of children at play. However, research shows that spatial abilities can definitely be intentionally developed and improved. Thus, children of all ages could benefit from more intentional experiential learning in areas of spatial ability. Assessing various aspects of spatial reasoning is complex, but there are research-based types of activities that support the development of spatial abilities. Our theoretical framework is based on David Kolb's experiential learning theory. In this framework, a holistic approach is envisioned, recognizing the combination of cognition, environmental factors, and emotions in learning experiences. In a week-long summer camp, activities were focused on various aspects of spatial ability. These included flying drones, paper engineering through popups, and a spatial drawing activity. Each of the activities will be discussed in the context of the various aspect of spatial ability development and the importance of those aspects in STEM fields. Students completed a survey about how important they believed spatial skills were in science, mathematics, technology, and engineering. They reflected on the camp activities and their perception of the use of spatial skills in the camp activities. The results of surveys and reflections will be shared. Concluding, we will discuss ways PK12 teachers and university researchers who work with PK12 programs can promote activities to develop students' spatial abilities.