TeachSpatial is an NSF-funded small-grant NSDL (National Science Digital Library) Pathways project to extend and enhance an existing web portal  (http://teachspatial.org) by providing guided access to digital resources that support instruction in spatial thinking skills within STEM subject courses. This proposal provides the rationale and evidence in support of the project.

TeachSpatial is a small‐grant NSDL Pathways projectl to extend and enhance an existing web portal (http://teachspatial.org) developed and hosted by the Center for Spatial Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. TeachSpatial was launched in March 2009 with the objectives of promoting the discussion of spatial literacy among researchers and educators and providing access to digital resources that support the integration of spatial thinking into course curricula. Funding from NSF began in September 2010 with the objective to develop the “resources” section of the TeachSpatial website as a managed NSDL Collection, organized according to a concept‐based framework that transcends disciplinary boundaries. The project allows users to discover and navigate through related spatial concepts and provides directed access to relevant National Science Digital Library resources. The intent is to support the integration of spatial thinking into high school and undergraduate courses, curricula, and educational standards for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. This repport documents the activities and findings of the TeachSpatial project.