Definition
Spatial visualisation
Spatial visualisation means imagining how shapes or objects look after they move, turn, fold, join, split, or change viewpoint.
What it means
Make a movable picture of the shape in your mind, then change it while keeping track of the parts. You might fold a net, turn a solid, imagine a slice, or look from another side. A drawing, model, or hand movement can help; the skill is the spatial reasoning, not how well someone can see a picture.
Remember it
Hold the shape steady, then move the mind’s camera.
Example
A cube net has four squares in a row. One square sits above the second and one below it. Put a star on the upper square, a dot on the second square, and stripes on the third. When the dotted face is folded to the front, the star is on top and the stripes are on the right.
Watch for
Simply naming a shape that is already shown does not use spatial visualisation by itself; the key is predicting or tracking a spatial relation or change.
Common mix-up
This is not a test of eyesight. Diagrams and manipulatives can carry part of the thinking while the learner reasons about where each part goes.
Exact meaning
Spatial visualisation is the ability to form and transform mental representations of shapes, positions, views, and parts in two or three dimensions.