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Importance of Developing Spatial Skills for Success in CS

Importance of Developing Spatial Skills for Success in CS. Laura Reasoner Jones. Well-developed spatial skills lead to success in. Engineering and Technology Computer Science Chemistry Computer-Aided Design Mathematics Geospatial technologies Neurosurgery And much more

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Importance of Developing Spatial Skills for Success in CS

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  1. Importance of Developing Spatial Skills for Success in CS Laura Reasoner Jones

  2. Well-developed spatial skills lead to success in • Engineering and Technology • Computer Science • Chemistry • Computer-Aided Design • Mathematics • Geospatial technologies • Neurosurgery • And much more • Because they represent and manipulate information in problem-solving.

  3. Gender Differences in Spatial Skills • ~100 years of research finds significant gender differences favoring males in 3-D spatial skills • Differences are particularly robust in mental rotation and spatial perception (Linn and Peterson, 1985) • Experiences as youth seem to explain some of the differences (Baenninger and Newcombe, 1995, Voyer, Nolan, and Voyer, 2000, and Terlecki and Newcombe, 2005) • Training seem to improve female performance to some degree (Baartmans and Sorby, 1996)

  4. Components of Spatial Thinking • Mental Rotation—rotate two and three-dimensional figures • Spatial Perception—determine relationships with respect to the orientation of her/his body • Spatial Visualization—multi-step manipulations of objects and parts both individually and holistically • (AWE)

  5. How can you improve measurable spatial skills? • Teach students to: • Analyze the components of the task • Rotate the item into congruence • Compare objects • Respond

  6. Important Experiences for the Development of Spatial Skills • Play with construction toys/Legos • Shop, drafting, and mechanics classes • 3-D computer games • Certain sports • Mathematics skills • Sketching • Repeated practice with general spatial skills

  7. Importance for Computer Science • Spatial ability allows you to: • Navigate in virtual space • Develop mental models and maps • Move between files and functions more easily • Navigate through text/code more easily • Figure out where to go next • 3-D Printing…….

  8. How can you improve functional spatial skills? • Practice • Experience • Build confidence

  9. Tests for Spatial Abilities: • Mental Cutting Test

  10. Mental Rotation Test (Vandenberg and Kuse, 1978)

  11. Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotations

  12. Project Talent Study (APA, 2009)

  13. What you can do • Make thinking visible—use the Think-Aloud technique • Teach mental rotation, 2-D and 3-D drawing (Sorby)

  14. Use E3 Materials (Everyday Examples in Engineering) Sorby’s Engineering Graphics

  15. Make 2D to 3D and 3D to 2D a part of the classroom life • Logic groups • Modeling as part of the programming process

  16. Promote and use free CAD software • Encourage exploration • Allow experimentation & failure • http://www.sketchup.com/learn/videos?playlist=58 • https://tinkercad.com/video

  17. Contact information: Laura Reasoner Jones lrjones806@gmail.com

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