Students’ Strategies & Mistakes Using a Map in the Real World Kim A. Kastens MG&G Seminar

Students’ Strategies & Mistakes • Using a Map in the Real World • Kim A. Kastens • MG&G Seminar • 8 March 2007

Mind Earth Fertile research area at interface

Mind Earth Fertile research area at interface • Kim’s Priority List of Research Topics in ROLE/ GEO • Complex systems of the Earth & environment • Geologic time • Learning in the Field • Spatial thinking in Geosciences

versus Field photo from: http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/users/menke/slides/EESC2200FIELDTRIP04/fieldtrip_3.html Lab photo from: www.ldeo.columbia.edu/edu/DLESE/activities/Galileo/index.html

Lab Report Methods: We made our observations at 40° 47' N, 73° 58' W, 72 cm above the floor level, at the front table, in room 558 Schermerhorn. versus Field photo from: http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/users/menke/slides/EESC2200FIELDTRIP04/fieldtrip_3.html Lab photo from: www.ldeo.columbia.edu/edu/DLESE/activities/Galileo/index.html

A Manual for Deeptow Transponder Navigators A Tool for Understanding and Improving how Children Learn to Use Maps

“THE WORLD IN SPATIAL TERMS… • The geographically informed person knows and understands... • How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective… • By the end of the fourth grade, the student knows and understands: … • How to display spatial information on maps and other geographic representations.”

Knowing how to use a map is important for everyone who wants to be able to travel to new places.

Field-based investigations of children’s map skills:• Baseline Group• Self-Explaining Group• Verbal Description Group

The “Baseline” Group

The “Baseline” Group “Put the blue sticker on the map to show where you think the blue flag is located….”

2001-2002 and 2002-2003 classes (now 6th & 7th graders): The “Baseline” Group The “Baseline” Group

2001-2002 and 2002-2003 classes (now 6th & 7th graders): The “Baseline” Group Two scoring methods for sticker placements: (1) Quantitative: distance from center of student sticker to exact location, in sticker diameters. (2) Categorical

Category 1 Error: Sticker is centered on a map object that resembles sticker in shape and size Type 1 Error Correct Answer

Category 2 Error: Sticker is placed on symbol for grass, trees, or bushes; not on or adjacent to any built object Type 2 Error Correct Answer

Category 3b Error: Sticker should have been adjacent to a road or path; placed instead on or adjacent to a structure Correct Answer Type 3b Error

Category 4a Error: Sticker should have been on structure; placed on or adjacent to the wrong structure Correct Answer Type 4a Error Type 4a Error

Category 5a Error: Sticker should be on structure; placed on correct structure but outside of “correct” ring Type 5a Errors Correct Answers

Category 5b Error: Sticker should be adjacent to a road or path; placed on correct path or road segment, but outside the “correct” ring Correct Answer 5b Errors

2001-2002 and 2002-2003 classes (now 6th & 7th graders): The “Baseline” Group The “Baseline” Group Correct location is on a wall. Student stickers on the wrong building. Student sticker on the grass. Student sticker on trees or shrubs. Good student stickers.

2001-2002 and 2002-2003 classes (now 6th & 7th graders): The “Baseline” Group The “Baseline” Group Result #1: Without instruction, many 4th graders (and some adults) find it difficult to accurately locate a real-world object onto a map.

The “Explaining” Group Same as “Baseline”:

The “Explaining” Group Same as “Baseline”: Different: “After you put one of the stickers on the map, write down what clues you used to decide where to put the sticker…”

The “Explaining” Group

The “Explaining” Group Result #2: Children who explained their reasoning did better than those who did not. Baseline Explaining

…..even though: • the two groups of students were from the same school • had the same teachers • were the same age (end of 4th grade) • and were indistinguishable on standard paper and pencil tests of mental rotation ability.

The “Self-Explaining Effect”: Eliciting “self-generated explanations” improves student performance on a wide range of tasks

The “Explaining” Group Why? Self-explaining activates existing spatial competencies. Students find and self-correct incipient errors. Baseline Explaining

The “Explaining” Group Insights from clue-answers should be taken as indicative of students performing closer to peak capacity.

Coding of Clue-Answers • Did clue-answer include at least one landmark that exists in the real world? (landmark/no landmark) • If so, did the clue-answer accurately describe the real world? (veridical/ counterfactual) • If so, was the clue-answer sufficient to pinpoint the flag location within 15m? (sufficient/ accurate but insufficient) • If so, did the landmark exist on the map as well as in the real world? (Viable/ nonviable) • If so, did the position of the sticker agree with the position described in the clue-answer? (agree/ disagree) • Did the clue-answer include topological, projective, or Euclidean spatial elements? • Did the clue-answer include at least two elements of spatial information? • Did the clue-answer describe process as well as observations? (kinesthetic, visual)

Did the clue-answer include at least one landmark that exists in the real world? And if so, did the clue-answer accurately describe the flag’s position in the real world? (true flag locations) Counterfactual Veridical

Did the clue-answer include at least one landmark that exists in the real world? And if so, did the clue-answer accurately describe the flag’s position in the real world? (light blue K09) “Well I was walking along a road that goes in a circle, I saw this flag by cars so I knew it was near the parking area.” (white K18) “It was across the tree on a light post.” (true flag locations) Counterfactual Veridical

Did the clue-answer include at least one landmark that exists in the real world? And if so, did the clue-answer accurately describe the flag’s position in the real world? (light blue K09) “Well I was walking along a road that goes in a circle, I saw this flag by cars so I knew it was near the parking area.” (white K18) “It was across the tree on a light post.” (true flag locations) Counterfactual Veridical Counterfactual clue-answers are very rare in our data: only 7 out of the 223 Landmark clue-answers.

If the clue-answer is a veridical description of reality, does the clue-answer contain enough information to pinpoint the flag location? Accurate but Insufficient Sufficient (true flag locations)

If the clue-answer is a veridical description of reality, does the clue-answer contain enough information to pinpoint the flag location? (white K03) “I put my white sticker where I put it because I saw it on a tree in the circling road.” (black H06) “I saw the flag on the statue while I was walking.” (white H14) “I found the white flag by the big tree close to the mansion.” (orange H13) “It’s on the mansion.” Accurate but Insufficient Sufficient (true flag locations)

Students’ Strategies & Mistakes Using a Map in the Real World Kim A. Kastens MG&G Seminar