Geographical spatial thinking, expression of scientific thinking – ability of investigative competence

The article advocates the acceptance of geographical spatial thinking as a form of scientific thinking. The first part argues about the specificity of the concept of geographical space in the sense of geographical studies, in order to then build the syllogism according to which geographical spatial thinking, based on higher cognitive operations and respects geographical principles and paradigms, can be considered a particular form of scientific thinking. The second part exemplifies the way of training the investigative ability to think spatially from the geographical point of view, using documentation sheets designed for the study of the local horizon at different levels of schooling (professional and high school levels) and for different sequences of the lesson, supported by cartographic supports of the Google Earth application. The methodological indications guide the manner of applying, in the Physical Geography lessons, the integration situations for the formation of the components of the investigative competence. The conclusions emphasize the importance of structuring geographical spatial thinking according to the characteristics of scientific thinking systematized by local researchers.