Spatial Reasoning in the Early Years: Principles, Assertions, and Speculations

Over the past several years, "spatial reasoning" has gained renewed prominence among mathematics educators, as spatial skills are proving to be not just essential to mathematical understanding but also strong predictors of future success beyond the classroom in fields such as science, technology, and engineering. By exploring both primary and emergent dimensions, Spatial Reasoning in the Early Years helps define the concept of spatial reasoning and provides compelling evidence of the need for a clear focus within early education specifically. The authors review the research, look across current theories, and investigate implications for contemporary school mathematics pedagogy as they identify areas of inquiry necessary to bring a stronger spatial reasoning emphasis into the classroom.

The book contains many classroom- or workshop-based vignettes, highlighting the complexity of spatial reasoning in educational practice, providing an in-depth analysis of spatial reasoning as it applies to classroom practice, and offering new ways of framing lessons to help young students hone their spatial reasoning abilities. The book concludes with a forward-looking agenda that contributes to developing a greater understanding of the role spatial reasoning plays in educational contexts and beyond. Supported by plentiful visual representations, Spatial Reasoning in the Early Years skillfully integrates the conceptual and the concrete, making this text a dynamic and accessible resource.

Brent Davis is Professor and Distinguished Research Chair of the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

The Spatial Reasoning Study Group is a transdisciplinary team of researchers from across North America with its hub at the University of Calgary. Its members work in and across mathematics education, mathematics, psychology, curriculum studies, and cognitive science. The group currently includes Catherine D. Bruce, Beverly Caswell, Lissa D’Amour, Brent Davis, Michelle Drefs, Krista Francis, David Hallowell, Zachary Hawes, Donna Kotsopoulos, Lynn McGarvey, Joan Moss, Yukari Okamoto, Paulino Preciado, Nathalie Sinclair, Diane Tepylo, Jennifer S. Thom, and Walter Whiteley.