Abstract
Mapping Our School Site (MOSS) is a program in which students practice spatial cognition skills by field mapping and analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Middle school students' spatial ability was evaluated using a Spatial Experience Survey (SES) and the revised Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotations (PSVT:R). Other sources of data included interviews, group presentations, individual written conclusions, and mapping analyses. Students' problem solving identification and ability dramatically improved as they collected, evaluated, reported, and synthesized environmental data. The MOSS program combined an out of door experience with an indoor experience on the computer. This was found to be an effective approach to this type of field study.
Highlights
Baker & Piburn (1997) define spatial reasoning as the ability to see your world in your mind, to manipulate it, and to explore it
When asked how Mapping Our School Site (MOSS) compared to what they normally did in science class, one student responded, “It was a big leap
Students said that MOSS was different from what they normally did in science class because they:
Summary
Baker & Piburn (1997) define spatial reasoning as the ability to see your world in your mind, to manipulate it, and to explore it. This study used the revised PSVT:R developed by Branoff (BRANOFF, 2000) to measure the spatial visualization of middle school students. A Spatial Reasoning Survey (SES) was developed from the results of these two studies and administered to students along with the 30 item revised PSVT:R. In the MOSS program, students choose a 10 meter x 10 meter study site that has a variety of vegetation and possibly a water source They measure, survey, and stake out the site. Students collect data following established procedures such as vegetation/ ground cover, animals, pitfall traps, trees, and abiotic (STUBBS; HAGEVIK; HESSLER, 2003)
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