AbstractAGSSS: Connecting University to K–12 to Improve Spatial Thinking Track: Educational Research and Teacher Education Author(s): Sarah Bednarz, Robert Bednarz Advancing Geospatial Skills in Science and Social Sciences (AGSSS) (http://agsss.tamu.edu) is part of the National Science Foundation's K–12 program. AGSSS connects geospatially skilled graduate and advanced undergraduate geosciences students, called Fellows, with science and social studies teachers (grades 6–12) in a collaborative three-year program to enhance both teacher and student knowledge and skills in spatial thinking. Fellows and principal investigators support teachers in carrying out activities that help students develop spatial thinking skills and in conducting classroom research to assess improvements in students’ spatial thinking. This paper reports on how technologies may—or may not—support spatial thinking; whether increased map use, both high- and low-tech, influences students’ spatial literacy; and benefits of the program on the spatial thinking and communication skills of graduate student "experts." It also discusses plans for teacher research on spatial thinking, which is a major goal of the second year of the project. Sarah Bednarz Texas A&M University Geography MS 3147 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-3147 US Phone: 979-845-1579 E-mail: s-bednarz@tamu.edu Robert Bednarz Texas A&M University Geography MS 3147 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-3147 US Phone: 979-845-7187 E-mail: r-bednarz@tamu.edu |