Seeing Relationships - Using Spatial Thinking to Teach Science, Mathematics, and Social Studies

Oct 15, 2026

Using spatial thinking as a teaching approach for science, mathematics, and social studies explains how spatial structures help people discover patterns, make predictions, and deepen conceptual understanding. Examples include the periodic table as a spatial organizer for element relationships, John Snow’s mapped cholera clusters to challenge the miasma theory, and graphs that reveal trends such as job losses and recoveries. Evidence also links higher spatial ability with improved learning from visualizations and stronger participation in STEM fields.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Seeing Relationships

Spatial Structures in Science

Maps, Graphs, and Diagrams as Tools

The Role of Spatial Ability

Seeing Relationships Using Spatial Thinking to Teach Science, Mathematics, and Social Studies ILLUSTRATIoNS BY LAURA McCABE By Nora S. Newcombe Alchemists, who searched for centuries for a method of making gold from less valuable metals, may seem like scientists. After all, they experimented—that is, they combined various substances in various ways to see if they could manufacture gold. Yet alchemists are not commonly called scientists. They experimented rather blindly, without understanding the underlying system of elements and themecha- Nora S. Newcombe is a professor of psychology at Temple University and the principal investigator of the Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center (which is funded by the National Science Foundation). She has been a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, and the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin. She is also a past president of the Developmental Psychology division of the American Psychological Association. nisms oftheir chemical combination. During the 18th and 19th centuries, mathematical formulations such as Boyle’s law began to change alchemy into the science of chemistry. Still, the major event in systematizing our knowledge of elements and chemical reactions—and thus creating a real science—was the periodic table proposed by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869. The periodic table is one of the most recognizable spatial structures in all of science. Its famous rows and columns organize the relationships among elements. For scientists, looking atthe table allows for predictions, including the possible existence of undiscovered elements. For students, looking at the table may provoke questions that will deepen their understanding—for example, why are two elements alone at the top, at opposite sides of the table? The use of spatial relationships to make scientific discoveries and to communicate mathematical and scientific insights isnot unique to chemistry. Just 15 years before Mendeleev published 26 AMERICAN EdUCAToR | SPRING 2013 his periodic table, a London physician named John Snow was confronting an epidemic of cholera. Many people thought atthe time that cholera was caused by “miasma,” or bad air, but Snow noted that the cholera cases were clustered—and wouldn’t that be odd if the bad air hypothesis were true? Suspicious that the disease was actually caused by bad water, he made a map showing where sick people were living. He also placed marks on the map to indicate the locationsofthe pumps from which Londoners ofthe time obtained their water (see Figure 1 below) . On this map, the clustering of cholera cases around the pump located on Broad Street was easily visible, which led Snow to conclude that water was more likely the problem than air. Snow has been called the founder of modern epidemiology, but he could just as well be called the founder of social studies. Maps are a potent tool in discovering how things go together in anthropology, geography, economics, sociology, and history. Tables and maps are not the only powerful spatial learning tools. There are graphs and diagrams, photographs of objects seen through microscopes and telescopes, and sketches and drawings made both as records of observations and “on the fly,” as people work to imagine and communicate scientific laws. Let’s look atone more example of the power of spatial representations: how a graph can communicate about economics very clearly and in away that provokes reflection and question-asking. The graph in Figure 2 (below right) of job losses and gains in the American economy over the past decade looks like a roller coaster ride. On closer examination, we see the job losses that occurred in the economic crisis of 2008–2009, and then we see a slow, steady rebound beginning in 2010, with growth at a rate pretty equivalent to growth before the downturn. We also see that this growth isnot sufficient to get us back on track relative to where we might have Figure 1 SoURC

FAQs

How does the periodic table illustrate the value of spatial thinking in science?

Its rows and columns organize relationships among elements. Looking at the table supports predictions, including possible undiscovered elements.

What role did mapping play in John Snow’s cholera investigation?

Snow mapped where sick people lived and marked pump locations. The clustering around a specific pump suggested contaminated water rather than bad air.

What does research indicate about students with higher spatial ability?

Students higher in spatial ability learn better from visualizations than those with lower ability, and spatial skill is associated with interest and success in STEM disciplines.

Oct 15, 2026

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