Abstract
Spatial thinking allows you to understand the location and dimension of objects, and how different objects are related. It also allows you to visualize and manipulate objects and shapes in your head. Not only is spatial thinking very important for everyday tasks, new research shows that it is essential for mathematics learning. Children and teenagers who are good at spatial tasks are also good at mathematics questions. We also know that some of the same parts of the brain that are used for spatial thinking are also activated when we do mathematics. The good news is that many studies have shown that you can improve your spatial thinking through “training.” This means that practicing spatial games and doing spatial activities can improve your spatial performance. In this article we discuss ways by which you can improve your spatial thinking and we look at evidence that suggests that spatial training may also improve mathematics.
Highlights
How do you know how to organize objects, such as packing a suitcase or fitting your books into your schoolbag? How do you know to put kids.frontiersin.org May| Volume | Article | GilliganFigure Sample mental rotation task.Spatial Thinking and Mathematics Figure SPATIAL THINKINGHow the brain processes the position and shape of di erent objects
Most people, including teachers, do not realize that spatial thinking can influence how well you do in school, especially in mathematics classes
Beyond its obvious importance in everyday life, it turns out that spatial thinking is important for how well you do in school, for mathematics lessons
Summary
How the brain processes the position and shape of di erent objects. A subject relating to number and quantities. We use spatial thinking to understand the location (position) and dimensions (such as length and size) of objects, and how di erent objects are related to each other. No matter how much you turn the cow on the right, it will always be facing the wrong direction Spatial scaling is needed to be able to understand that the picture of a park you see on the map on your phone represents the same park that you are standing in. Another example is when we assemble furniture like a wardrobe using paper instructions with small diagrams.
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