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 "gradient"

gradient

As magnitudes vary over the extent of a distribution then the slope or gradient between adjacent points increases or decreases. Gradients also depend on the distances apart of the occurrences. Peaks of concentration and pits of scarcity emerge from transforming the two-dimensional point locations into a three-dimensional continuous surface in which the representation of gradients or slopes become completely dependent on the interpolation criteria chosen (p. 38)

Geography

Golledge (1995)

Primitives of Spatial Knowledge

gradient

Measure slope between two occurrences with different elevations (p. 92)

Geography

Golledge, et al. (2008)

Matching geospatial concepts with geographic educational needs

gradient

Qualities vary, slowly, subtly, gradually, across the extent of each thing. Gradients occur (p 205). ...(they) will follow as the natural response to any changing circumstance in space, as centers become adapted correctly to the changes which move across space: in doing so, they will vary systematically, thus forming gradients (p 206).

Alexander (2004)

The Nature of Order, Book 1: The Phenomenon of Life

gradient

...measurements can be made of the influence of surrounding points on any given location. One such measurement is gradient, or grain. If some characteristic is continuous...then the measure is steepness of gradient, that is, how quickly that characteristic changes as one moves to nearby points (p 355).

Design (urban, architecture)
Architecture

Lynch (1984)

Good City Form

gradient

Change in the value of a variable in spatial coordinates. A field is the rate of change of a variable with distance from a reference point or surface. The rate (slope) may be more or less 'steep' by analogy with topography. The oceanic 'thermocline' is the rapid fall off in temperature with depth below the uniformly mixed layer at the surface. Physiological processes often depend on the maintenance of ionic gradients, e.g. in nerve tissue, the kidneys, the mitochondrial membrane, chloroplasts, etc.

Science Education

Mathewson, J. H. (2005)

The visual core of science: definition and applications to education

transition

How do things change between two places? (p. 104); Mixture or blend of features in a border zone between regions (p. 274)

Geography

Gersmehl (2005)

Teaching geography

transition

A spatial transition is a change from one place to another. Any bicycle rider can tell you that the slope of the land (the change in elevation) between two places can be every bit as important as the actual elevation in either place (a condition of that place) (p. 186, see source for more)

Geography

Gersmehl and Gersmehl (2007)

Spatial thinking by young children. Neurologic evidence for early development and "educability"