{"id":66903,"date":"2023-01-25T01:01:09","date_gmt":"2023-01-25T06:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=66903"},"modified":"2023-01-25T01:01:09","modified_gmt":"2023-01-25T06:01:09","slug":"how-spatial-thinking-could-help-children-learn-maths-and-go-on-to-use-it-in-their-careers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/how-spatial-thinking-could-help-children-learn-maths-and-go-on-to-use-it-in-their-careers\/","title":{"rendered":"How spatial thinking could help children learn maths \u2013 and go on to use it in their careers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Do you struggle to visualise how to rotate your shoes so that they nest together in a shoe box?<\/p>\n

How are you with flat-packed furniture?<\/p>\n

Are you good at giving directions?<\/p>\n

These everyday activities require spatial thinking. Spatial thinking is important for mathematics, and it is what we use to understand the properties of objects, such as their location, size and shape, as well as the relationship between objects.<\/p>\n

When we manipulate objects in our mind\u2019s eye \u2013 such as visualising how to rearrange our living room \u2013 we are using spatial abilities. When we navigate our way home from a trip out, we are using spatial abilities.<\/p>\n

People who have strong spatial skills are\u00a0more likely to be interested<\/a>\u00a0in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) and to choose Stem degrees and Stem careers.<\/p>\n

This association is unsurprising when you think about the skills required for Stem: using graphs to visualise patterns of data in maths, understanding the scale of a diagram of the solar system, or using the spatial layout of the periodic table to understand chemical relationships.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, spatial thinking is given little emphasis within the English national curriculum. It has recently been\u00a0de-prioritised<\/a>\u00a0as an \u201cearly learning goal\u201d for young children.<\/p>\n

Lacking maths skills<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently announced his ambition for all children to\u00a0continue with maths education<\/a>\u00a0to age 18, citing the need for maths skills in the workforce. And it does seem that these skills are lacking.<\/p>\n

The UK Stem industry is thought to lose \u00a31.5 billion annually as a result of\u00a0Stem skills shortages<\/a>. Around half of working-age UK adults have only\u00a0primary school level maths<\/a>, and maths difficulties are estimated to cost the UK around\u00a0\u00a320.2 billion each year<\/a>, according to the charity National Numeracy.<\/p>\n

Sunak proposes to continue maths education past 16. But focusing on spatial training for younger children is one promising avenue for increasing maths enjoyment and maths achievement, as well as nudging the next generation towards Stem careers.<\/p>\n

Spatial skills can be\u00a0improved by training<\/a>, and spatial training consistently increases\u00a0achievement in mathematics<\/a>\u00a0and other Stem disciplines, including\u00a0at degree level<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The largest\u00a0effects of spatial training<\/a>\u00a0among children are for those from\u00a0disadvantaged backgrounds<\/a>. This means that spatial training provides an opportunity to reduce attainment gaps. It could bolster catch-up after pandemic school closures for the children most affected by this learning loss.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more \u2013 and particularly important for maths\u2019 sometimes dull image \u2013 spatial activities are enjoyable. Engagement scores for our spatial activities and training suggest that children\u00a0like learning in this way<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Improving spatial ability<\/strong><\/h4>\n

There are some easy ways to improve spatial ability. Visualisation \u2013 imagining a process in your head \u2013\u00a0has been linked<\/a>\u00a0to stronger\u00a0science and maths performance<\/a>\u00a0and it can be\u00a0improved through training<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Younger children could discover visualisation by being encouraged to imagine rotating jigsaw pieces in their head, rather than trying to fit pieces in a puzzle through trial and error. Older children could be prompted to use visualisation as a mental sketchpad when rearranging maths formulae.<\/p>\n

Small-world play \u2013 such as with dolls houses or toy farm sets \u2013 can be used to help children learn to see things from other viewpoints and understand differences in spatial scale. Both of these are spatial skills which\u00a0help with maths<\/a>\u00a0and science<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a\u00a0preprint study<\/a>\u00a0(which means it has not yet been reviewed by other scientists) colleagues and I have also found that following visual instructions when using construction toys, such as Lego, can help spatial skills.<\/p>\n

It helps with mental rotation (rotating a piece in your mind to figure out which way round it should go) and understanding the relationship between parts and a whole, such as the individual bricks in a Lego model. This is useful for fractions and maths proficiency more generally.<\/p>\n

As a final example, children who\u00a0hear more spatial language<\/a>\u00a0have stronger spatial skills, and stronger spatial language is associated with\u00a0better maths performance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This means\u00a0using words<\/a>\u00a0as simple as \u201cin\u201d, \u201con\u201d, and \u201cnext to\u201d to describe the spatial relationships between objects, or \u201csmall\u201d and \u201cbig\u201d to draw attention to the properties of objects. More difficult words like \u201cparallel\u201d and \u201cseparate\u201d can help children to conceptualise otherwise difficult spatial concepts, particularly if hand movements are also used to help explain the meaning.<\/p>\n

I am a member of the\u00a0Early Childhood Maths Group<\/a>, an independent group of early years mathematics enthusiasts and experts who work together to promote early childhood mathematics. The group has launched the\u00a0Spatial Reasoning Toolkit<\/a>\u00a0to help adults support children\u2019s development in spatial activities.<\/p>\n

Introducing more spatial thinking to the curriculum could reduce attainment gaps, increase confidence and nudge children towards Stem careers. Children\u2019s enjoyment of spatial activities could also help to change attitudes towards maths.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Emily Farran is Professor of Cognitive Development at the University of Surrey<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you struggle to visualise how to rotate your shoes so that they nest together in a shoe box? How are you with flat-packed furniture? Are you good at giving directions? These everyday activities require spatial thinking. 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