Serving Visual-Spatial Learners by Steve Coxon

Author:Steve Coxon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks

Responsible School Decision Making

It is important that administrators facilitate spatial talent development through policy and that parents, teachers, and school officials all advocate for the best interests of spatially-able students. Teachers have a particularly powerful influence on student learning and in how policy is carried out in practice, so it is essential that teachers become increasingly educated on the needs of spatially-able students and provide appropriate curriculum and instruction for this special group. Some of the most important considerations for the spatially able are developing and implementing programs that provide for daily challenge in the spatial domain, providing professional development on the special characteristics of the spatially able, and ensuring that spatially-able students with multi-exceptionalities or other differences that make school more difficult receive an appropriate education.

Programming

Heads would turn if a school neglected to provide math in seventh grade or allowed a first-grade teacher to choose not to include reading in his classroom. It is essential that students receive daily spatial challenge as well. However, this is rarely in place at the present.

First, it is prudent to map out the spatial opportunities already available within a classroom, school, or district. Likely, there are already projects in place in elementary school such as math units on geometry, geography lessons involving spatial challenge in social studies, perspective projects in art, and others. At the secondary level, one typically finds courses in physics, geometry, visual arts, and computer graphics. Identify what exists and begin to fill the gaps. Some classes, especially shop classes, may be off limits to students pursuing advanced coursework to prepare for university study. Remove barriers to taking these spatially-demanding classes from which gifted students are often steered away. These courses are not only valuable for students pursuing such careers after high school, but to those planning to study engineering, physics, or other spatial fields at the university level.

Second, consider programs and courses to fill the identified gaps with the guiding principle that gifted students should be challenged in their area(s) of strength on a daily basis. Work to ensure a variety of STEM and arts opportunities at every level. It is often challenging to provide this at the elementary level where students are generally in the same classroom for their academic subjects. This makes it especially important for elementary teachers to receive professional development on serving the spatially able. Moving toward project-based classrooms will help to facilitate the integration of daily spatial challenge over merely providing the occasional lesson.

As the school day may prove difficult in creating comprehensive programming in the short term, increase the number of opportunities at every level with afterschool and summer programming in the arts and STEM fields so that spatially-able students can begin to pursue activities of special interest to them. This likely includes academic competitions such as the FIRST® robotics programs discussed previously.

Professional Development

It is important that teachers become familiar with the special characteristics of the spatially able as well as the possibilities for challenging them. Such professional development could be focused solely

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