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 "spatial organization"

arrangement

[OED]: 4. concr. A structure or combination of things arranged in a particular way or for any purpose

Linguistics

OED Online (2nd Ed.)

Oxford English Dictionary, Online Edition

center-periphery

Our word radiates out from our bodies as perceptual centers from which we see, hear, touch, taste and smell our world. (This describes) the CENTER-PERIPHERY schema as though it were totally a matter of (an individual's) perceptual space...in (that) "world," some things, events and persons are more important than others...more central to (one's) interactions. (This) shows itself not only in the structure of (the) perceptual field but equally important as a structure of (one's) social, economic, political, religious and philosophical world (p 124-125).

Linguistics
Philosophy

Johnson, M. (1987)

The Body in the Mind

classification

Create schema for uniquely identifying places in spaces (p. 92); To understand and be able to organize phenomena into classes and categories (p. 95)

Geography

Golledge, et al. (2008)

Matching geospatial concepts with geographic educational needs

packing

An arrangement of like objects that occupies a minimum volume or expends the least energy. Atoms and molecules form crystal structures with various close packing arrangements. When tissues are compressed the constituent cells form into approximate 14-sided solid figures (orthotetrakaidecahedra) that leave no voids between.

Science Education

Mathewson, J. H. (2005)

The visual core of science: definition and applications to education

simplicity and inner calm

In most cases...simplicity shows itself in a geometric simplicity and purity, which has a tangible geometric form...the quality comes about when everything unnecessary is removed (p 226).

Alexander (2004)

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