1. Spatial Reasoning in the Classroom:
The Effectiveness of Classroom-based
Spatial Intervention Programs
STEM Education Research Centre (SERC)
Professor Tom Lowrie

2. Stem Education Increasing emphasis on STEM Education
Focusing on trying to integrate STEM content undoes the intent of STEM
STEM Practices - not content
Focusing on practices ensures understandings are related to real-world contexts and enacted through participation and engagement

3. What is Spatial Reasoning?
Sourced from The Department of Education, Ontario (2014).
Paying attention to spatial reasoning.

4. Spatial Visualisation
What is Spatial Reasoning?
Theoretical underpinnings
Spatial Reasoning
Spatial Visualisation
Mental Rotation
Spatial Orientation

5. Spatial Reasoning
Key predictor of STEM academic success and career choice. (Wai, Lubinski & Benbow, 2009)
Skills are malleable and can be trained. (Uttal et al., 2013)
A critical vehicle for connecting STEM Practices to how children think in education. (National Research Council, 2012)
There is strong evidence that spatial reasoning and mathematics are intrinsically linked and share a lot of common processing skills. (Mix & Cheng, 2012)
Spatial Reasoning is one element of Numeracy in the Australian Mathematics Curriculum.
Improved spatial thinking provides new affordances for a range of equity groups. (Sorby, 2007)

6. Spatial Visualisation
It involves thinking with the mind’s eye.
“At its core, spatial visualization requires making and retaining a mental image and changing or manipulating it in some transformative way”.
(Ontario document, 2014, p. 10)

7. Concepts associated with Spatial Visualisation
Systematic manipulation of shapes and images e.g., folding/unfolding paper and paper engineering
Symmetry and reflections
Cross-sections of 3D objects
Spatial structuring; Layering, block counting
Composing and decomposing shapes
Shifting dimensions from 2D to 3D and vice versa
Translations and scaling

8. Spatial Visualisation

10. Mental Rotation
Mental rotation is a cognitive process in which a person imagines how 2D and 3D objects would appear after they have been turned around a point or an axis by a certain angle.
(Shepard & Metzler, 1971)

11. Concepts associated with Mental Rotation
Jigsaw puzzles
2D rotations on the plane: quarter/half turns, clockwise/anticlockwise
2D rotations by degrees: 45o anticlockwise
Identifying unique 3D figures with 3, 4 or 5 cube blocks
Understanding 3D equivalence
3D rotations around the x, y and z axes
Rotations but not reflections

12. Mental Rotation

14. Spatial Orientation
Egocentric perspective transformations are imagined movements of one’s point of view. An egocentric representation involves locating an object with respect to one’s body as reference.
Wayfinding/Navigating
One has to mentally or physically position oneself in the place of an object to be manipulated to determine the position of the object or the result of a transformation on the object. The problem solver is required to analyse an object with respect to his/her position.
(Zacks, Ollinger, Sheridan, & Tversky, 2002).
Perspective taking
the ability to imagine how an object or scene looks from perspectives different to the observer’s. It is regarded as the anticipation of location from different vantage points.
(Newcombe & Huttenlocher, 1992)

15. Concepts associated with Spatial Orientation
Navigating using cardinal and relative directions
Reading, drawing and interpreting maps; including different orientations
Visual perspective taking: putting your self in someone else’s shoes
Orthogonal views: front, top, side
Close links with geography and PE and sport

16. Spatial Orientation

18. Mental Rotation vs Spatial Orientation
The critical difference between mental rotation and spatial orientation depends on whether the object is manipulated, or the observer’s point of view is manipulated.
In mental rotation the object is mentally manipulated, but the observer’s point of view remains fixed.
In spatial orientation the object is fixed and the observer’s point of view is manipulated/changed.

19. Spatial Reasoning and Mathematics
“The relation between spatial ability and mathematics
is so well established that it no longer makes sense
to ask whether they are related.”
(Mix & Cheng, 2012, p. 206)

20. Spatial Reasoning in the Classroom
Spatial concepts tend to develop through engagement in our inherently spatial world or through activities that promote particular spatial skills or understandings
Two simultaneous classroom-based approaches should be taken to promote spatial reasoning in education
Bring spatial thinking into the learning environment through intentional teaching embedded within the curriculum
Promoting a spatial habit of mind through new ways of thinking spatially about the world

21. “Practical” Spatial Reasoning
Practice and Practise
of Spatial Reasoning

22. Spatial Reasoning Intervention Framework
Practice
Practise
Pedagogical Framework
ELPSA
Student focused visualisation
Digital Resources
5 learning components:
Experience
Language
Pictures
Symbols
Application
Mandalar
Draw Tile
Origami paper cutting
3D Shapes

23. Intervention Programs
Embedded into lessons
Teachers as Researchers

24. What have we found so far?
In 2015 we implemented a ten week spatial reasoning program (totalling 20 hours) across eight grade 3-6 classrooms.
At the conclusion of the program improvements were found in both spatial reasoning and mathematics.
A high level of engagement was reported by teachers and students.
Lowrie, T., Logan, T., & Ramful, A. (2017). Visuospatial training improves elementary students’ mathematics performance. British Journal of Education Psychology, 87,

25. What have we found so far in 2018?
In early 2018 we conducted cross-sectional testing of primary and high school students across ACT to explore the impact of static and dynamic assessment formats.
Students completed maths, spatial and verbal assessments on iPad and pen and paper.
Spatial performance positively correlated with performance on both mathematics and verbal assessments.
Available content knowledge and spatial ability mediated strategy use on static and dynamic tasks.
Improving verbal and spatial ability may improve maths; and digital resources enable students to access a broader range of strategies, making them more likely to succeed.

26. What is next?
Implementation of the spatial reasoning program in grade 8 classrooms – currently happening!
32 grade eight classrooms across ACT and NSW participating in the intervention.
The training program consists of 12 hours of lessons delivered over a six week period, replacing geometry and measurement during this time.
Intervention covers constructs successfully implemented in Primary Schools.
The high school program aligns to curriculum requirements but includes specialised spatial content and new methods of teaching based on ELPSA framework.

27. High School Intervention
Teacher feedback so far has been positive -
“There are a few students who have been moved into my classes because of issues with engagement - and they are the students I am finding are most up for the challenge”.
“I teach a low level year 8, so they are pretty apathetic towards all maths activities - the class really got into it, and enjoyed it (in spite of themselves!)”.
“Most of them have exceeded my expectations for their level of enthusiasm and interest for the topic”.

28. Thank You SERC Projects supported by Contact Details
canberra.edu.au/serc
@UC_SERC