Spatial Thinking Thinking About © 2009 Phil Gersmehl Michigan Geographic Alliance New York Center for Geographic Learning

Eight ways of thinking about locations, conditions, and connections Spatial Thinking Eight ways of thinking about locations, conditions, and connections

Location The idea of location is the “entrance ticket” to a geographic inquiry. - Where is it ? - Why is it there ? - Why is that important ?

Location Place Movement The conditions “right there” at a location The connections a location has with other places

Location Spatial Thinking Place Movement How the brain organizes information about locations, their conditions, and connections.

Spatial Comparison comparing this place to another one I already know

Are places the same or different? Spatial Comparison Are places the same or different? Does one place have more or less than another place? List two ways the Upper Peninsula and the Lower Peninsula are the same. List two ways the UP and the LP are different. Which city has more people – Detroit or Lansing? Which city on average is colder – Ann Arbor or Marquette? What places are higher (mountainous), larger, wetter, drier, nicer, colder, safer?

How are places similar or different? Comparison How are places similar or different? Which Great Lake is home to the largest urban area?

Which is bigger, the Upper Peninsula or the Lower Peninsula? Comparison What is another way they are different? Which city on average is cooler – Ann Arbor or Marquette?

How are places similar or different? Comparison How are places similar or different? Where are most of the large cities located?

How does this place influence other places? Spatial Aura finding places that have an influence over this place How does this place influence other places? Why are there more highways around Detroit than Gaylord?

How does a big city influence nearby places? Spatial Aura How does a big city influence nearby places? What kinds of businesses might grow up around a big city? What kinds of businesses might locate near a body of water? How does Lake Michigan influence weather on the west coast of Michigan? How does a body of water influence nearby places?

Aura Why are there more highways around Detroit than Gaylord? What kinds of businesses might grow up around a big city? How does Lake Michigan influence weather on the west coast of Michigan?

putting similar places Spatial Region putting similar places together in a group

What places are near each other and are alike in some way Spatial Region What places are near each other and are alike in some way (have similar conditions)? What are two physical and two human characteristics of mid-Michigan?

What groups of nearby places Region What groups of nearby places are similar? What geographic characteristics do each language group region have in common?

What human regions are evident? Can you draw a mental line around a region of high land?

Region Do language regions coincide with country boundaries? Paris Metro (Transit) Region Do language regions coincide with country boundaries? What groups of nearby places have similar characteristics or connections?

Spatial Transition arranging places in a sequence

How do conditions change as we move along a journey? Spatial Transition How do conditions change as we move along a journey? What comes earlier, and what comes later? Is the change gradual, or is the change abrupt? How does the scenery change as one drives north on US 127 from Coldwater to the Mackinac Bridge?

How do conditions change as you travel from one place to another? Transition How do conditions change as you travel from one place to another?

What other physical changes might you see on this route? Transition Based on this map, can you predict how the scenery would change as you drive from Lansing north on US 127/I75 to Sault Ste. Marie? What other physical changes might you see on this route?

What other physical changes might you see on this route? Transition Based on this map, can you predict how the scenery would change as you drive from Lansing north on US 127/I75 to Sault Ste. Marie? What other physical changes might you see on this route?

Spatial Hierarchy putting small places Inside of large places Moscow is inside Russia; Russia is inside Eurasia.

are inside a larger piece? Spatial Hierarchy Is a place a part of something larger? What smaller pieces are inside a larger piece? Is a smaller river part of (connected to) a larger river? put the following places in order from inside to outside: Michigan, Ingham County, Wisconsin, Lansing, Midwest. (Lansing, Ingham County, Michigan, Midwest)

How are smaller places related to larger ones? hierarchy How are smaller places related to larger ones?

Put the following places in order from inside to outside. Michigan Ingham County Lansing Midwest hierarchy

smaller entities related to and tributaries help show boundaries hierarchy How are smaller entities related to larger ones? How do rivers and tributaries help show boundaries of watersheds?

Spatial Analogy identifying places in similar positions Traverse City is to the Boardman River and Grand Traverse Bay as Saginaw is to the Saginaw River and the Saginaw Bay

What features or conditions tend to occur in similar positions? Spatial Analogy What features or conditions tend to occur in similar positions? Why were the following good places to put sawmills in the late 1800’s? Muskegon, Alpena, Traverse City, Bay City, Ludington (end of river, on a Great Lake. Easy to get logs, ship out lumber) As a result, do they have other features in common?

Why do places with similar locations have similar characteristics? Analogy Why do places with similar locations have similar characteristics?

What do these towns have in common? Ads by Google Lake Orion Movers Local - Long Distance Moving Moving Company in Lake Orion www.LakeOrionMovers.com Work. Live. Michigan. Jobs. Internships. Cool Companies. Places to Live. People. News. MiPerfectJob.com Michigan Want a career in Law Enforcement? Here's everything you need for free Edu.PoliceLink.com/Academy Michigan Elevation Map:This is a generalized topographic map of Michigan. It shows elevation trends across the state. Detailed topographic maps and aerial photos of Michigan are available in the Geology.com store. See our state high points map to learn about Mt. Arvon at 1,979 feet - the highest point in Michigan. The lowest point is Lake Erie at 571 feet. Why were they good places to put sawmills in the late 1800’s? Escanaba Analogy Alpena Manistee Cadillac Ludington Bay City Which of these 4 additional towns would also be a potential site for a sawmill in the late 1800’s? Muskegon Lansing

and other arrangements Spatial Pattern noting alignments, arcs, clusters, rings, and other arrangements that are not random

Are features arranged in a line or in a cluster? Spatial Pattern Are features arranged in a line or in a cluster? Are features spread out evenly vs. randomly? Are features spread out in a balanced way or are they unbalanced with more on one side? Is there a pattern to the high areas of Michigan (all inland, mostly north) What is the population pattern in Michigan?

Why are features arranged in clumps, lines or patterns?

Pattern Is there a pattern to the high areas of Michigan? Is the population pattern in Michigan spread out or clustered?

Spatial Association noting features that tend to occur together (in the same places)

What features or conditions tend to occur together? Spatial Association What features or conditions tend to occur together? Why are there more state parks in the lower peninsula? What human features tend to occur near our inland lakes, rivers, and forests? What physical features are associated with winter sports? Why do they occur together?

Why do some features usually occur together Association Why do some features usually occur together in the same places?

Association That’s why we call it Lake Effect Snow. Red areas have abundant snowfall. Are these areas associated with the Atlantic Ocean, the Great Lakes or the Mississippi River? Why do they occur together? What else occurs in these areas? Map showing some of the lake-effect snow areas of the United States

Why do some features usually occur together in the same places? Association Why do some features usually occur together in the same places? Earthquakes Plate Boundaries Volcanoes

those 8 ideas over lunch one day. We didn’t just think up those 8 ideas over lunch one day. They are based on a huge amount of neuroscience research

One important conclusion from research in neuroscience and developmental psychology: 1. The human brain appears to have some specific structures that “do” each kind of spatial thinking.

Recent research (Three thousand studies since 1995) shows that old ideas about “stages of development” (Piaget) “cycles of learning” (Kolb) “left brain, right brain” (Edwards) or “frames of mind” (Gardner) are just that – old ideas.

Recent research (Three thousand studies since 1995) Identify analogous places. Assess influences that a place has on nearby places. Compare one place with another. Find close-together places that have similar conditions. Notice transitions. Do conditions change gradually or abruptly? Describe the non-random arrangements of features. Discover correlations (features that occur together). Identify smaller sub-areas within larger areas. shows that the human brain has several “regions” that do specific kinds of spatial thinking.

from research in neuroscience and developmental psychology: Two more conclusions from research in neuroscience and developmental psychology: 2. People are different – some people are genetically or experientially predisposed to use specific modes of spatial thinking.

from research in neuroscience and developmental psychology: Two more conclusions from research in neuroscience and developmental psychology: 2. People are different – some people are genetically or experientially predisposed to use specific modes of spatial thinking. 3. People can learn – an expert map reader uses more different modes of spatial thinking, and uses them more effectively, than a novice.

Remember – the “purpose” of these various modes of spatial thinking is to make it easier for us to remember facts about places. We’ve known this for a long time. What’s the big deal ?

Just this – the human brain has specific “regions” that are structured to do each kind of spatial thinking.

Scientific conclusion : The human brain has a number of separate, independent structures that help us organize geographic information Important take home message for educators/administrators: There are significant individual differences In student inclination and ability to use different modes of spatial thinking.

Our goal is to design teaching materials that enable all students to improve all of their spatial-reasoning skills – in geography, history, economics, earth science, even reading and math.