Spatial Thinking, Learning Styles, and Nature vs. Nurture

There is a very thoughtful article on spatial thinking by Nora S. Newcombe, a Psychology professior at Temple University. The article is titles "Picture This: Increasing Math and Science Learning by Improving Spatial Thinking." Einstein, evidently, thought entirely in visual terms, and has once said “The words or the language, as they are written or spoken, do not seem

to play any role in my mechanism of thought," - the terms "mechanism of thought" being a nice spatial concept itself. On a more ordinary plane, people with good spatial abilities tend to excel in careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). In the article, Newcombe discusses some of the ways in which spatial abilities can be nurtured and supported, also touching on the concepts of learning styles, gender differences in spatial skills, and the question of nature vs. nurture.

It occurs to me, coincidentally, that spatial abilities are often very strong in people with autism spectrum disorders. Temple Grandin wrote "Thinking in pictures" where she described entire movies of mechanical action playing in her head before she sets anything down on paper as a design.

Daydreaming

Daydreaming is milk to the butter of invention.

What is it about competition?

If a rational, friendly, and very curious alien landed on earth and tried to make sense of our human activities, there would be a lot to be explained. Arts, for one thing. Music. Perhaps the political systems. But I'm sure that by far the most perplexing task would be to understand competitive sports. Competitive sports drive us to wild extremes: single-minded life commitments, injury, gambling, and broken friendships - not to mention $25,000 event tickets. I am sure brain science has a biochemical explanation for why competition is such a power force. But what I really want to know is how can we harness that power to help us learn?

It's an old idea. Spelling bees have been around for a long time. Jeopardy helps one develop certain cerebral muscle. So can we use it more often for subjects so many kids find challenging - math, reading, science, programming?

I've heard objections to the use of competition in schools on the grounds that it fosters aggressive behavior, and kids on the losing side can be discouraged and upset. But this can be overcome. The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotic competition is a great example of fostering a competitive spirit that encourages cooperation and turns a loss into an inspiring experience. How does that happen?

FIRST competitions foster a clever set of rules and incentives. Do not beat up on another team's robot, they might be your partner in the next round. Stay within the rules, or lose points. Plan and practice. Help your teammates do their best work, it's best for the team. Know what you do best. These are universal rules that promote learning from the experience and will serve you well in life. In a FIRST competition they might help you win, but even those who don't win walk away from the experience happy, ecstatic even, about the entire experience, and talk about learning more than they have ever learned in the classroom.

Google Art Project

Nothing can compare with the experience of seeing a work of art live and in person. But for those of us limited by geography from visiting art museums around the globe, the Google Art Project is the next best thing.

Museums have teamed up with Google to create virtual tours, letting users view the museums the same way we explore streets on Google map’s street view. Simply select the museum you want to visit and let your mouse guide you room by room through its galleries, or click on the floor plan to see a specific room in the museum. You can also choose to simply view the museum’s art without navigating through the building (although then you don’t get to see the museum’s layout and architecture).

As part of their agreements with Google, each museum is able to limit user access to its exhibits; the Metropolitan Museum of Art lets you explore almost its entire first and second floors, while others are restricted to only 1 gallery.

But while the selection can be limited, Google lets you zoom in up-close to see details and brushstrokes that could go missed in a live viewing of the piece. Menus on the side provide additional information about the art, artist, and links to more work. You can also create your own saved collection of favorites and notes about the art, and share those online with friends.

So while you may never a class trip or family vacation to the National Gallery, you can still enjoy the shared experience of viewing and discussing some of its art.

Popular Science Invention Awards

The results are in and 10 winners have been picked for this year’s Popular Science Invention Awards. Submissions must have physical prototypes (no conceptual entries), and be original ideas (not improvements to pre-existing products). Here’s a quick look at a few top winners; you can see all winning devices and demonstration videos on the Popular Science website.

Mechanical Hand: No wires required for this prosthetic. A socket-and-cable system harness allows the user to control the device with his shoulders, and each finger has 3 knuckles that been individually to grasp and hold objects.

The Print Brush: Upload an image to the Print Brush, then simply wave it across any flat surface to print that picture. As Pop Sci explains, this hand-held printer “operates more like a computer mouse than a printer.” Laser sensors track the device’s location and reflect light off the surface to determine where to print, working on paper, plastic, wood and fabric.

Vital Sign Mirror: It started as an MIT student project to transform a webcam into a heart rate monitor and developed into this clever device that projects your heart rate on top of your reflection. Behind the glass is a laptop and a webcam that can detect minute light changes. Since blood absorbs light, you reflect less light off your skin when your pulse is high. The webcam detects those light levels, and the computer translates the levels into your heart rate. The students are now working on including other vitals in the read out.