Creating a Model for Integrating Hydrology Research and Education in High School and Early College Classrooms

Science Education Solutions Inc, Los Alamos NM

Investigators

Abstract

0607952 Creating a Model for Integrating Hydrology Research and Education in High School and Early College Classrooms This project is developing a model for integration of cutting-edge hydrology research into the classroom by building a partnership between the community of hydrology researchers in the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) and a team of curriculum developers with a successful record of transferring science into forms accessible to students. The new curriculum is using elements of both the SAGUARO project's model for design and testing of GIS-based curriculum and the Earth Exploration Toolbook's model for generalizing and customizing an investigation for a variety of geographic areas. Initial efforts are focused on helping students understand the dynamics of watersheds and how human and natural processes affect them. This is being achieved by creation, testing, and dissemination of high school / entry-level college investigations of the essential characteristics of healthy watersheds and factors compromising their health. The curriculum is focused on real scientific problems affecting many communities. Recent data, analysis tools, and discoveries about watershed response to wild fires, as well as biographic career sketches of the diverse team of scientists making these discoveries, are being integrated. The project will also develop, test and disseminate an instructor's guide with background content knowledge and pedagogical instruction for classroom implementation. Developing an effective model for collaboration among scientists and science educators for transferring new knowledge to the classroom is an additional goal of the project. Implementation of this project is focused on schools with high percentages of underrepresented and disadvantaged students. The effectiveness of these resources on student learning in such communities is being thoroughly evaluated as part of the project.