From image to language: teachers' collective articulation of spatial reasoning

Conference item

Spatial reasoning, the ability to visualise, manipulate, interpret and solve problems using images, is not only key to success in mathematics and other STEM subjects, but also essential in everyday life. Teachers’ competence and confidence with spatial reasoning may shape both the extent and the effectiveness of the support they provide to develop these skills in their learners. Using a task-based clinical interview and the Discipline of Noticing, three pairs of secondary mathematics teachers were asked to visualise, describe, and explain a dynamic geometry animation, providing insight into their spatial reasoning. We report three emerging themes in how teachers adopted terminology, interpreted the dynamic nature of the animation, and moved between descriptive accounts and explanatory reasoning. This paper presents the first stage of a study aimed at advancing understanding of spatial reasoning by examining how it becomes visible through language. 

Authors: Macmillan, E; Angier, C; Ingram, J

• Publication status: Not published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Acceptance date: 2026-04-27
• Event title: ETC 2022: Communication and Diversity in Mathematics Education: Exploring Language, Meaning Making and Methodologies
• Event series: ERME Topic Conference: Communication and Diversity in Mathematics Education
• Event location: Cork, Ireland
• Event website: https://www.ucc.ie/en/etc22/
• Event start date: 2026-08-25
• Event end date: 2026-08-27
• Language: English
• Keywords: dynamic geometry; spatial reasoning; visualisation; teacher education