® Visual-Spatial Defined
W OR S
K SHOP SER I E
Visual-Spatial Thinking Defined
Visual-spatial thinking is the ability to perceive the world is also missed as a result, and many
the visual information in the environment, to of the visual problems needing to be solved are
represent it internally, to integrate it with other ignored or over-looked in our communities.
senses and experiences, to derive meaning and
understanding, and to perform manipulations All people could benefit from a greater
and transformations on those perceptions. It is emphasis on visual-spatial learning in our public
the first language of the brain. school curriculum, but there is an alarming lack
of information currently available for teachers,
The Benefits of Visual-Spatial Learning especially teachers of preschool and elementary
People with highly developed visual-spatial children. Howard Gardner, well-known professor
skills pay more attention to the world around of education at Harvard University puts it
them. They notice and appreciate the details this way:
of life: the architecture of the buildings
in their towns, the kinds of trees in their “Though the centrality of visual-spatial
neighborhoods, the ugly litter that mars the intelligence has long been recognized by
countryside. Visual-spatial skills give people researchers who work with adult subjects,
the ability to negotiate well in space: to follow relatively little has been definitively established
maps, move easily through a forest trail, or about the development of this set of capacities
maneuver a car into a tight parking space. in children.”
People need highly developed visual-spatial
skills to work in fields such as architecture, The lack of emphasis on visual-spatial learning
engineering, mathematics, geology, sculpture, in our school systems has led to a number of
computer science, aviation, forestry or problems. Women are not being encouraged
cartography, but all people, regardless of to develop visual-spatial skills when they are
profession, benefit from strengthening their young girls and are therefore under-represented
visual-spatial thinking. in fields such as architecture, engineering,
forestry or higher-level mathematics. Children
In a world where a confusing array of visual who are naturally visual-spatial learners are
information from television, video games, often not recognized as such and are sometimes
billboards, and advertisements of all type falsely labeled as learning disabled. Children
continually bombard our senses, people with with verbal language delays and disabilities
highly developed visual-spatial skills are able like autism or attention deficit disorder often
to make sense of the chaos by “sorting out” the have innate visual-spatial ability that is not
distracting images and focusing on the beauty being validated or encouraged. Many children
in nature or pleasing architectural detail. Those would benefit if teachers and parents better
who haven’t learned the ability to sort through understood the importance of visual-spatial
visual images often stop paying attention learning. Much heartache and school failure
to the details in the world around them as a could be avoided, and our communities would
way to guard against visual overload. This is likely become filled with more people who
unfortunate since much of the enjoyment of valued and nurtured the world around them.
©2005 Dimensions Foundation
03-18
Nature-Inspired Indoor Environments
Visual-Spatial Defined
Dimensions’ Research:
Children’s Visual-Spatial Work
Through on-going analysis of teachers’ visual Nature: In terms of visual-spatial skills, nature
notes (a technique borrowed from architectural provides powerful opportunities for all children
note taking), as well as experimentation, close to develop close observation skills; notice
observation and discussion with teachers, details, colors, patterns and textures, see things
researchers and consultants, patterns emerged from multiple perspectives and levels; learn
that led Dimensions to identify three key about pathways, space, scale relationships,
focuses of the research. These three broad whole-part relationships; experiences area,
categories that help us think about children volume and perimeter; estimate distance, even
and visual-spatial learning are: building, nature visually observe the seasons change. Children
and purposeful movement. with special needs (who are often strong
visual-spatial and kinesthetic learners) and
Building: Through their visual-spatial work those with behavioral challenges are often very
children are able to explore and manipulate successful learners outdoors because they have
three-dimensional materials, developing and the freedom to interact with natural materials in
practicing many different skills simultaneously a myriad of ways.
(e.g., construction, engineering, kinesthetic,
math, literacy, social skills). They are also Purposeful Movement: The need for children
communicating their knowledge of the world to move their bodies is evident when children
(often before they have the ability to verbalize build full scale structures that they could
it), and learning to communicate, process physically play on or in, and in their creation
and manage emotions. Children’s visual- of objects that move or have moving parts.
spatial work is a language. Through building Children with behavioral challenges often need
children can practice abstract thinking in a purposeful movement to help them focus and
concrete medium. to calm them. Purposeful movement helps
children develop body competence, learn to
negotiate objects and their bodies in space
and internalize their learning through the
development of muscle memory. Children often
convey messages through their body movement
that they are not able to express in other ways.
©2005 Dimensions Foundation
