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ERIC Number: EJ1420278
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1933-8341
EISSN: EISSN-1752-6884
Tour of a Map Reader's Brain, Part 5: Patterns, Symmetries, Sequences, and Hierarchies
Phil Gersmehl
Geography Teacher, v21 n1 p9-20 2024
The focus in this article is on the usefulness of spatial sequencing as a tactic for interpreting a map and organizing our memory of it. This skill is useful whenever some condition varies in a systematic way with distance. When students are asked whether they see a pattern on a map of a topic like wildfires or terrorist activity, some students can answer "yes" while using a different brain network and perceiving something very different from what the teacher thinks is "the" pattern. Unless a geographic pattern is quite simple and the map is well designed, human eyes may not perceive the pattern all at once. Map readers have to assemble a mental image of the pattern while their eyes jump around the page. This interaction of time and space can introduce distortions in perception. Part of becoming a good map reader, therefore, is learning how to guide your eyes to pick out patterns on maps.
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Guides - Classroom - Teacher
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A