Spatial Reasoning Pilot Projects
The team at the Turner Kirk Centre for Spatial Reasoning are working on a variety of pilot projects spanning all levels of education and industry, including fun activities that individuals can up and use on the go or at home. Take a look at the list below - which will continue to grow - and drop the team a line to find out more:
spatialreasoning@glasgow.ac.uk
Spatial Reasoning Development through Games
The Centre is exploring the use of games to develop spatial reasoning. There is mixed literature on whether games do develop spatial reasoning, for example, 2D Tetris has been shown not to be effective, while some kinds of first-person-shooter are.
We are currently exploring particular kinds of maze game, drawing on both the spatial reasoning and gaming research literature to develop a game that is highly engaging while also developing the appropriate skills.
We expect to have versions of the maze game in the various app stores by the end of the summer.
Extending Spatial Reasoning Testing
As we scale up our work in spatial reasoning, we will be testing the skills levels of an ever-increasing number of research participants and building testing into ongoing educational development programmes. There is a concern that the commonly-used tests will become freely available to the public and lose their effectiveness.
We are studying the nature of particular spatial skills tests in order to develop automated test development - that is, the creation of unique tests automatically, on demand. There’s clearly a challenge to ensure the validity of the tests that are generated in this way - are they measuring the same thing as the tests from which they have been derived.
At this stage we have built a solid test-bed for further experimentation, and are trialling different questions complexity metrics.
STEM SPACE x Secondary School
Building on the success of the STEM SPACE project in primary schools we have launched a one-year pilot for secondary schools.
Success in STEM subjects is strongly related to spatial reasoning ability. By developing spatial reasoning, we expect this to impact pupils’ performance and enjoyment within STEM subjects. This could lead to an uptick in the number of pupils selecting STEM subjects as progression choices.
Under the fully funded pilot we are collaborating with a maximum of 10 secondary schools focusing on S2 pupils across STEM subjects.
By providing classroom resources, lesson plans and training we aim to:
- build and strengthen spatial reasoning skills in learners
- introduce and promote spatially-orientated teaching approaches in STEM subjects
Resource Developer, Jenny Kenny is leading the pilot. If you would like to find out more contact Jenny at jenny.kenny@glasgow.ac.uk