Spatial thinking as the missing piece in mathematics curricula

It is well established that spatial thinking is central to discovery, learning, and communication in mathematics, as indicated by convincing evidence that those with strong spatial skills also demonstrate advantages for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) performance. Yet, spatia...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNPJ science of learning Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 10 - 4
Main Authors Gilligan-Lee, Katie A, Hawes, Zachary C K, Mix, Kelly S
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Nature Publishing Group 02.06.2022
Nature Publishing Group UK
Nature Portfolio
Subjects
Addition & subtraction
Classrooms
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive ability
Comment
Core curriculum
Educational objectives
Intervention
Mathematics
Problem solving
Skills
STEM education
Visualization
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Summary:It is well established that spatial thinking is central to discovery, learning, and communication in mathematics, as indicated by convincing evidence that those with strong spatial skills also demonstrate advantages for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) performance. Yet, spatial thinking—the ability recall, generate, manipulate, and reason about spatial relations—is often absent from modern mathematics curricula. In this commentary, we outline evidence from our recent meta-analysis, demonstrating a causal role of spatial thinking on mathematics. We subsequently discuss the implications of educational policy decisions made across different countries, regarding the prioritization of spatial reasoning in the classroom. Given the increasing global demand for highly qualified STEM graduates, and evidence that spatial skills promote improvements in STEM outcomes, we argue that it is remiss to continue to ignore spatial skill development as a component of educational policy.
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ISSN:2056-7936
2056-7936
DOI:10.1038/s41539-022-00128-9