Understanding how children perceive space in classroom

Introduction to Research topic:

Developing an understanding of three-dimensional perspective is an important life skill; we all make judgments continuously about the relationships among three-dimensional objects. We use these relationships to navigate, understand, and follow directions, construct things, and make interpretations and decisions about arranging objects in our homes or offices.

Many school topics require an understanding of perspective. Social studies courses require map-reading and scale-drawing skills. Students in science classes record and process information using their understanding of structures, place and location, and other relationships. In mathematics students use visualization, spatial reasoning, and geometric modeling in constructing of mathematical knowledge.

Piaget and Inhelder (1956) engaged in extensive studies of the mental development of perspective and concluded that its development progresses through stages. Critic of Piaget's claim further gives yet another opportunity to examine spatial learning even more critically.

Research question: The focus of the research will be to understand about the space as perceived by a child in relation to the context of their learning in the classroom like textbook and other teaching learning materials.

The research will be with children of the following age group: 3, 5 and 7. The sample will be collected from Vidya Bhawan School. A well-defined battery of task will help in data collection from children on how they perceive space in various contexts. An in-depth interview with each child will supplement information on what contributes in its understanding of a given space. Some actual mathematics and language class observations will provide further insight on what spatial construct teacher use in the classroom and with what understanding and how do children perceive these spatial concepts. For example, a teacher may use direction like up down, right, left with a completely different spatial understanding than a child may perceive. To further elaborate, through yet another example, what spatial understanding, say, a child construct when the child reads in the textbook that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west and many more similar constructs.

The research will try to understand whether spatial understanding of certain concept changes with experience or remains the same unless a deliberate attempt is made to interpret experience differently.

Why this research: I have been working in elementary education for a while now. Working towards development of a better textbook and a meaningful classroom well defines the major portion of my work. I have chosen the present topic for the research as an opportunity to read and understand some of the seminal work done in understanding of how children develop intelligence and develop abstract thinking and its direct relevance to the kind of work I do. I strongly belief that understanding of the above research topic will help in creation of a better teacher-student interaction in the classroom and better use of textbooks in the classroom by the teacher. For example, how children perceive picture in their textbook, illustrations, map etc will be an input in development of a better textbook, better use of the existing textbook and better inputs for teacher in communicating more effectively in the classroom.

List of Readings:

1. The early growth of logic in the child: Inhelder and Jean Piaget
2. The child's conception of space: Inhelder and Jean Piaget
3. The construction of reality in the child: Jean Piaget
4. The Child's Conception of the World. Patterson, NJ: Littlefield, Adams, 1960. Questia. 24 Aug. 2008 .
5. Piaget, Jean. The Origins of Intelligence in Children. Trans. Margaret Cook. New York: International Universities Press, 1952. Questia. 24 Aug. 2008 .
6. Piaget, Jean. The Psychology of Intelligence. London: Routledge, 2001. Questia. 24 Aug. 2008 .
7. Sigel, Irving E., David M. Brodzinsky, and Roberta M. Golinkoff, eds. New Directions in Piagetian Theory and Practice. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1981. Questia. 24 Aug. 2008 .
8. Smith, Leslie, ed. Critical Readings on Piaget. New York: Routledge, 1996. Questia. 24 Aug. 2008 .
9. Stiles-Davis, Joan, Mark Kritchevsky, and Ursula Bellugi, eds. Spatial Cognition: Brain Bases and Development. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1988. Questia. 24 Aug. 2008 .
10. Wellman, Henry M., ed. Children's Searching: The Development of Search Skill and Spatial Representation. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1985. Questia. 24 Aug. 2008 .
11. LMT: Map making and conception of space .