PROCEEDINGS OF THE 18TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2015
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Mathematicians’ views on spatial reasoning in undergraduate and graduate mathematics
Page: 937
Existing research shows there is a strong correlation between spatial reasoning and mathematics achievement in K-12. Is spatial reasoning important then for succeeding in undergraduate and graduate mathematics? I interviewed four (N=4) young mathematicians about their conceptualizations of spatial reasoning and where they potentially saw spatial reasoning in undergraduate and graduate mathematics. Two participants identified themselves as geometers/topologists and the other two identified as algebraists. The two geometers/topologists emphasized understanding 2D representations of 3D shapes and the two algebraists emphasized the notion of dynamics, i.e. mental movement. Among graduate fields of mathematics, geometry/topology was cited most frequently as being spatial and algebra was cited the least. In undergraduate mathematics, all four participants drew connections to multivariable calculus and discussed examples from their teaching of multivariable calculus. This work has some implications for teaching multivariable calculus and discerning the relationship between spatial reasoning and mathematics.