The Development of Spatial Skills through Discovering in the Geometrical Education at Primary School

There is a strong connection between 3-D and 2-D visualization of the geometrical shapes and solids. For better understanding of 3-D solids properties, it is important to have enough opportunities for manipulation with their 2-D representations, such are solid nets. According to the van Hiele's theory, the development of geometrical thinking depends on the educational process, especially at school. We focused on the discovery activities with the 3rd and 7nd grade pupils at primary school. We chose the cube and its nets as the most familiar 3-D solid in this age. We preferred IBL pedagogies and manipulation with the Polydron as the geometric construction product. We present some analysis of pupils' work and their results when they were finding, sorting and repairing the cube nets. Through presented activities, spatial skills and geometrical conceptions of pupils are developed. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.