Spatial representation development is present in both the subject of Arts and the Mathematics. The main topic of the master's thesis was the development of this ability in both subjects. In the theoretical part, we initially present the purpose or basic task of the subjects of arts and mathematics in the educational process. In the following, we present the concept of visual methods, their importance for student's development and arts in general as one of the visual methods of teaching. Since the subject of arts is often neglected by society in the process of schooling, we present the significance of this for children's development, how children see the world and how they express themself in it. It should not be overlooked that a child goes through different stages of development while growing up. Art is no exception in this regard. Different authors have defined the developmental stages of arts differently, but for the present research we have taken Lowenfeld (1981), who divides the stages into: the scribbling phase, the pre-symbolic phase, the symbolic phase and the phase of realism or graphic realism. Therefore, as (future) teachers, we must take into account that each student is different, when planning, organizing, conducting a lesson and assessing their knowledge. The differences between students do not necessarily stem from the fact that artistic development is divided into several phases, but we must also take into account that, in addition to other influences, the differences between them can also be influenced by a more significant gap between the stages of their artistic development. Namely, some can overtake in development, others lag behind. For this reason, it is crucial to differentiate and individualize lessons.
When planning the development of spatial representation, in addition to the developmental stages of arts, we must also take into account the 4 Piaget stages of cognitive development, namely: sensorimotor stage (0-2 years), pre-operational stage (2-7 years), stage of concrete operations (7-11 years) and stage of formal operations (11-15 years). According to both definitions of developmental stages, the child also develops spatial representations in each phase. It is also important to present the theory of the development of geometric representations according to van Hiels. Van Hiels divide their model of the development of geometric representations into 5 stages, where the first 3 are characteristic of the time of primary schooling, followed by 2 more phases, which are characteristic of later child / human development.
Both subjects, arts and mathematics, also pay attention to spatial representation. By connecting these two areas, we therefore enable students a holistic, lifelong approach to learning that brings the problem closer to them. Arts covers the field of design in three-dimensional space - sculpture and architecture, as well as in drawing and painting. Mathematics, on the other hand, encompasses a set of geometry and measurement and orientation in space and plain.
The research aims to determine whether, in the case of the planned development of spatial representation within one subject, we can expect effects in another area as well. The research aims to determine the impact of spatial representation in arts on general (mathematical) spatial representation in students. The research included 3rd grade students of the selected primary school, where at the beginning of the lesson we performed an initial, general (mathematical) examination of spatial representations, in the central part we then developed spatial representation through art activities. The final test followed, which was again general, mathematically oriented. We were interested in the impact of the development of spatial representations in arts on the improvement of spatial representations in selected mathematical topics, i.e. whether it is the development of spatial representations in a broader sense. We anticipate that the analysis of the results should show improved spatial representations when we develop them through one area and observe the impact on another area - in the central part through Arts, while the initial and final examination focused on spatial representations in selected mathematical topics. The results sadly showed otherwise. The research results showed that there were no statistically significant differences in spatial representations before and after the activity. Smaller differences were noticeable, but they were not statistically significant. We observed the same in the impact of art activities on the students' spatial orientation and spatial visualization, as well as in the differences between the sexes. The results of the research will serve to help teachers with teaching students and developing their spatial representations.
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