Spatial thinking for educational innovation: the Rwandan Iwacu project

Abstract

In this note, we describe our research in progress efforts in Rwanda focused on developing spatial thinking skills for educational innovation and development. In this regard, we present "Iwacu" which is a Kinyarwanda word meaning "Our Home". Iwacu is an open source, modular, mobile geographic ICT (geoICT) developed using a user-centered design approach with Rwandan stakeholders. Iwacu is theoretically motivated by the ideas of spatial thinking. We discuss how Iwacu's technical implementation is closely matched with spatial thinking components we are testing via a Spatial Thinking Ability Test or STAT to measure our educational innovation. We are finding that our use of mobile geoICTs to build spatial thinking skills are having positive, unintended consequences of building strong general ICT interest among young Rwandans and providing critical education pathways for young women and girls.