importance of developing spatial skills for success in cs
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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 - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Importance of Developing Spatial Skills for Success in CS
Laura Reasoner Jones
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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.
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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)
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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)
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How can you improve measurable spatial skills?Teach students to:
• Analyze the components of the task• Rotate the item into congruence• Compare objects• Respond
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Important Experiences for the Development of Spatial Skills
Play with construction toys/LegosShop, drafting, and mechanics classes3-D computer gamesCertain sports Mathematics skillsSketchingRepeated practice with general spatial skills
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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…….
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How can you improve functional spatial skills?
• Practice• Experience• Build confidence
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Tests for Spatial Abilities:• Mental Cutting Test
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• Mental Rotation Test (Vandenberg and Kuse, 1978)
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Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotations
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Project Talent Study (APA, 2009)
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What you can do
Make thinking visible—use the Think-Aloud techniqueTeach mental rotation, 2-D and 3-D drawing (Sorby)
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Use E3 Materials (Everyday Examples in Engineering)
Sorby’s Engineering Graphics
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Make 2D to 3D and 3D to 2D a part of the classroom life
• Logic groups• Modeling as part of the programming
process
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Promote and use free CAD software• Encourage exploration• Allow experimentation & failure
http://www.sketchup.com/learn/videos?playlist=58 https://tinkercad.com/video
