The knowledge, skills, and habits of mind to use concepts of space (such as distance, orientation, distribution, and association), tools of representation (such as maps, graphs, and diagrams), and processes of reasoning (such as cognitive strategies to facilitate problem solving and decision making) to structure problems, find answers, and express solutions to these problems.
Published in Chapter:
Creating Geospatial Thinkers
Larianne Collins (University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA)
Copyright: © 2020
|Pages: 12
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-0249-5.ch006
Abstract
In today's contemporary digital world, where geospatial technologies are an integral part of society, it is imperative that students learn to think spatially. The ability to think spatially is crucial for making well-informed decisions, and these skills are rapidly becoming exponentially more important. This chapter will explore the complexity of spatial thinking, and multiple spatial thinking skills will be identified. Methods best suited for delivering content that fosters the improvement of these spatial thinking skills will also be discussed. The chapter concludes with an exploration of some of the necessary elements required for the sustained use of geospatial technologies in the classroom and offers recommendations for transformation in teacher practice such as pre-service intervention, continuous follow-up and coaching, and curriculum modifications, which include the direct instruction of both spatial thinking and geospatial technologies.