Keywords
Spatial reasoning
Structuring
Prospective teacher education
How to Cite
Abstract
This article reports a research concerning a prospective teacher education experiment. The aim of this study is to
understand the contribution of exploratory tasks to the development of spatial reasoning and which are the
processes of spatial reasoning promoted. Data was gathered from audio and video records and the analysis
focused on the processes of constructing mental models, as well as inspecting, transforming and operating with
mental models. The study suggests that the type of tasks, the physical models made available and the
interactions in the classroom are relevant conditions to the activation of these processes. In respect to the tasks,
the enumeration of elements of the polyhedra and the establishment of relations and justifications promote the
processes of spatial reasoning; the physical models are important as a support, but its use should be limited; and
the collaborative work context favours the communication of reasoning and the spatial structuring of objects.
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