Gilligan-Lee Katie A, Hawes Zachary C K, Mix Kelly S
University of Surrey, Guilford, UK.
Centre for Educational Neuroscience, University of London, London, UK.
NPJ Sci Learn. 2022 Jun 2;7(1):10. doi: 10.1038/s41539-022-00128-9.
It is well established that spatial thinking is central to discovery, learning, and communication in mathematics, as indicated by convincing evidence that those with strong spatial skills also demonstrate advantages for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) performance. Yet, spatial thinking—the ability recall, generate, manipulate, and reason about spatial relations—is often absent from modern mathematics curricula. In this commentary, we outline evidence from our recent meta-analysis, demonstrating a causal role of spatial thinking on mathematics. We subsequently discuss the implications of educational policy decisions made across different countries, regarding the prioritization of spatial reasoning in the classroom. Given the increasing global demand for highly qualified STEM graduates, and evidence that spatial skills promote improvements in STEM outcomes, we argue that it is remiss to continue to ignore spatial skill development as a component of educational policy.
众所周知，空间思维在数学的发现、学习和交流中至关重要，有令人信服的证据表明，具备较强空间技能的人在科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）方面也表现出色。然而，空间思维——即回忆、生成、操作和推理空间关系的能力——在现代数学课程中却常常缺失。在这篇评论中，我们概述了我们最近的荟萃分析得出的证据，证明了空间思维对数学的因果作用。随后，我们讨论了不同国家在课堂上对空间推理的优先重视所做出的教育政策决定的影响。鉴于全球对高素质STEM毕业生的需求不断增加，且有证据表明空间技能有助于提高STEM成绩，我们认为，继续忽视将空间技能发展作为教育政策的一个组成部分是疏忽的。
