Spatial Concept Perspectives

We have gathered ~300 excerpts from published works about fundamental spatial concept terms. These have been cross-referenced with the concept lexicon appearing on the left. Those terms were drawn from the U.S.National Science Education Standards (NSES 1996) for topic areas B - Physical Science, C - Life Science, D - Earth and Space Science, as well as from the 1994 U.S. Geography Teaching Standards for grades 9-12. Those standards can be browsed here.

spatial concept terms

disciplinary perspectives on "container"

container

Open or closed structures with insides (the system) and outsides (the surroundings). Examples include cells and organelles, ocean basins and lakebeds, and any number of human products going back to pottery from prehistory. Compartmentalization is a fundamental evolutionary characteristic. A system with a closed surface may be sealed ('isolated system') or open to the surroundings permitting transfer of matter and energy.

Science Education

Mathewson, J. H. (2005)

The visual core of science: definition and applications to education

container

If we look for common structure in our many experiences of being in something, or for locating something within another thing, we find recurring organization of structures: the experiential basis for in-out orientation is that of spatial boundedness. The most experientially salient sense of boundedness seems to be that of containment (i.e. being limited or held within some three-dimensional enclosure, such as a womb, a crib, or a room) (p 21-22).

Linguistics
Philosophy

Johnson, M. (1987)

The Body in the Mind

container

[OED]: He who or that which contains, esp. a receptacle designed to contain or store certain articles;

Linguistics

OED Online (2nd Ed.)

Oxford English Dictionary, Online Edition

containment

...[an object] exhibits containment within a larger space such as a room. (p 174)

Geography

Kaufman (2004)

Using Spatial-Temporal Primitives to Improve Geographic Skills for Preservice Teachers

containment

[OED]: a. The action or fact of containing; holding; restraint;

Linguistics

OED Online (2nd Ed.)

Oxford English Dictionary, Online Edition

enclosure

(or surrounding). On a surface, one element may be perceived as being surrounded by others; such as the nose framed by the face. In three dimensions enclosure takes the form of the relation of 'insideness,' as in the case of an object in an enclosed box (p 8)

Psychology

Piaget and Inhelder (1967)

The Child's Conception of Space