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when we focus on spatial reasoning we're
often working with materials there's a
kinesthetic aspect there's a visual
aspect there's a creative aspect and a
very playful aspect to it we started
looking at what they were actually doing
when they were playing with geometry and
spatial reasoning they were composing
things using different shapes for
example and you can see how that can
relate to number sense it all works
together in kind of a seamless hole so
you can get to fractions you can get to
algebraic reasoning you can get to
measurement terms and all these Concepts
kind of kind of marry themselves well
together actually doing by inviting them
to engage spatially is that we're
getting to see talents that would not
necessarily be talents that would be
looked for recognized in children and
they are coming to see themselves as
mathematicians who can do and are
competent even if the beginning
expression of their mathematics is in
spatial when we start doing this work in
spatial reasoning we often discover
these kids that they often have these
strengths in these other areas that have
been untapped and for them that you know
we discover all of this untapped
potential in terms of learning and
Mathematics Not only was it helping to
build their confidence but sitting down
and doing some of these activities was
really helping learn the 3vs the
visualizing the verbalizing the
verifying with spatial reasoning as an
approach there's sometimes less language
involved and so because of that um the
student who might have other kinds of
language barriers or challenges could
really demonstrate their understanding
and build a deep understanding of an
idea because they're using a spatial
reasoning approach it's enabled students
to problem solve in a better way because
they're manipulating objects they can
change their thinking and um show me
more what they're thinking and so
they're able to verbalize what they're
doing actually and I'm seeing that
they're carrying that strategy across
the curriculum the classrooms when
children are engaged in spatial
reasoning activities and these playful
activities there is a buzz in the room
and when we offer professional
development when we're working with
teachers there is the same palpable
energy in the room that just it I think
why I'm most excited about spatial
reasoning is that it allows an in to
mathematics for everyone you see it all
the time kids have this natural um
proclivity to build they want to build
things they want to construct and that
is basically what um composing 3D
figures means the way we see it though
is a little different we want to kind of
mathematize it a bit we want to make it
a little more mathematical and that's
what we try to do with a lot of these
activities but we want to really pull
out the mathematics and draw children's
attention to the math involved in in
building talked about us as spatial
beings and how we constantly are
manipulating ourselves in time and space
and it was like yeah absolutely and
bringing that to the kids in playful
tasks was so natural once we made that
connection that that's where the the
most exciting learning was happening
just the possibilities it has for making
connections across the curriculum we are
bringing children important important
mathematics but not in the way that many
people perhaps frame math all of the
activities that we've developed in all
of this work have a focus on a playful
approach to pedagogy so children are
having fun and what we see all the time
when we're in classrooms in some of
these classrooms we see that uh there's
huge enthusiasm for this approach and
that's all you really want is for kids
really to love math and to see and
appreciate it um for what it
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is