Each chapter in this book makes a unique contribution to the body of the literature and enhances the understanding of spatial ability and its influence on learning in the STEM disciplines. It addresses spatial abilities, ways to measure them as well as their impact and how they can affect learning subjects in scientific, technology and engineering domains. The volume deliberately covers a wide range perspectives from cognitive psychology, educational psychology, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, computer science, information technology disciplines to human development. Taking a broad view on the topic, chapters in the book discuss how to define spatial ability and its factors, the measurement of spatial ability and psychometric analyses, and educational strategies to improve spatial skills and their implications for science and technology education. The book thus provides an overview of current thinking about visual-spatial ability, spatial reasoning, and spatial skills.

Each chapter in this book makes a unique contribution to the body of the literature and enhances the understanding of spatial ability and its influence on learning in the STEM disciplines. It addresses spatial abilities, ways to measure them as well as their impact and how they can affect learning subjects in scientific, technology and engineering domains. The volume deliberately covers a wide range perspectives from cognitive psychology, educational psychology, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, computer science, information technology disciplines to human development. Taking a broad view on the topic, chapters in the book discuss how to define spatial ability and its factors, the measurement of spatial ability and psychometric analyses, and educational strategies to improve spatial skills and their implications for science and technology education. The book thus provides an overview of current thinking about visual-spatial ability, spatial reasoning, and spatial skills.

This book comprises a wide range of scholarly essays introducing readers to key topics and issues in science education. Science education has become a well established field in its own right, with a vast literature, and many active areas of scholarship. Science Education: An International Course Companion offers an entry point for students seeking a sound but introductory understanding of the key perspectives and areas of thinking in science education. Each account is self-contained and offers a scholarly and research-informed introduction to a particular topic, theme, or perspective, with both citations to key literature and recommendations for more advanced reading. Science Education: An International Course Companion allows readers (such as those preparing for school science teaching, or seeking more advanced specialist qualifications) to obtain a broad familiarity with key issues across the field as well as guiding wider reading about particular topics of interest. The book therefore acts as a reader to support learning across courses in science education internationally. The broad coverage of topics is such that that the book will support students following a diverse range of courses and qualifications. The comprehensive nature of the book will allow course leaders and departments to nominate the book as the key reader to support students - their core 'course companion' in science education.

Visuospatial processing is key to learn and perform professionally in the domains of health and natural sciences. As such, there is accumulating research showing the importance of visuospatial processing for education in diverse health sciences (e.g., medicine, anatomy, surgery) and in many natural sciences (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics, geology). In general, visuospatial processing is treated separately as (a) spatial ability and (b) working memory with visuospatial stimuli. This book attempts to link these two research perspectives and present visuospatial processing as the cognitive activity of two components of working memory (mostly the visuospatial sketch pad, and also the central executive), which allows to perform in both spatial ability and working memory tasks. Focusing on university education in the fields of health sciences and natural sciences, the chapters in this book describe the abilities of mental rotation, mental folding, spatial working memory, visual working memory, among others, and how different variables affect them. Some of these variables, thoroughly addressed in the book, are sex (gender), visualizations, interactivity, cognitive load, and embodiment. The book concludes with a chapter presenting VAR, a battery of computer-based tests to measure different tasks entailing visuospatial processing. With contributions by top educational psychologists from around the globe, this book will be of interest to a broad array of readers across the disciplines.

Are you looking for ways to differentiate your instruction to meet the needs of gifted visual-spatial learners? You've found it in Visual-Spatial Learners: Understanding the Learning Style Preference of Bright But Disengaged Students (2nd ed.). Visual-spatial learners are students who show advanced abilities with computers, maps, construction toys, and puzzles. The techniques outlined within these pages help all learners succeed—regardless of preferred learning style. Based on the most current understanding of the brain's hemispheric functions, the author provides a number of strategies and lesson plan ideas to help make your classroom a successful learning environment for all learners. These strategies address preparing students to succeed on timed tests; easing the pain of handwriting; teaching spelling using imagery; incorporating mnemonics, rhyme, and other tricks that engage the right hemisphere of the brain; helping students stay focused and on track; getting—and keeping—students organized; and much more!

This book presents innovations in teaching and learning science, novel approaches to science curriculum, cultural and contextual factors in promoting science education and improving the standard and achievement of students in East Asian countries. The authors in this book discuss education reform and science curriculum changes and promotion of science and STEM education, parental roles and involvement in children's education, teacher preparation and professional development and research in science education in the context of international benchmarking tests to measure the knowledge of mathematics and science such as the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and achievement in science, mathematics and reading like Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Among the high achieving countries, the performance of the students in East Asian countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and China (Shanghai) are notable. This book investigates the reasons why students from East Asian countries consistently claim the top places in each and every cycle of those study. It brings together prominent science educators and researchers from East Asia to share their experience and findings, reflection and vision on emerging trends, pedagogical innovations and research-informed practices in science education in the region. It provides insights into effective educational strategies and development of science education to international readers.

This Handbook reviews a wealth of research in cognitive and educational psychology that investigates how to enhance learning and instruction to aid students struggling to learn and to advise teachers on how best to support student learning. The Handbook includes features that inform readers about how to improve instruction and student achievement based on scientific evidence across different domains, including science, mathematics, reading and writing. Each chapter supplies a description of the learning goal, a balanced presentation of the current evidence about the efficacy of various approaches to obtaining that learning goal, and a discussion of important future directions for research in this area. It is the ideal resource for researchers continuing their study of this field or for those only now beginning to explore how to improve student achievement.