Exploring spherical units as perceptual clues in enumerating 3D arrays

Abstract

This study continues an investigation of how spherical units, compared to cubical units, can facilitate students’ units-locating and organizing units in composites. We analyze how Norwegian grade 3 students enumerate 3D arrays with cubical and spherical units. Our results show how spherical units can act as perceptual clues that facilitate cognitive processes, underlying students’ strategies in the enumeration of 3D arrays. In particular, the results show how spherical units facilitate the units-locating process, which, in turn, supports processes of organizing-by-composites and spatial structuring of the array, in the action of developing a proper iterative strategy such as layer-based thinking.