Development Of kNowledgeable Teachers: Geospatial Understanding in Earth System Science (DONT GUESS)

West Virginia University Research Corporation, Morgantown WV

Investigators

Abstract

West Virginia University is developing a two course sequence for in-service science teachers, aimed at providing the scientific content and applied scientific and technical skills necessary for middle to high school science teachers to lead an inquiry-based study of local watersheds. Modeled using the GLOBE Watershed Dynamics investigation and using new and established GLOBE protocols, the course content focuses on physical processes and interactions between land cover and hydrologic systems occurring within watersheds. Taking an Earth system science approach, geospatial technologies are applied in support of spatial thinking and spatial analysis; remote sensing, GPS, and GIS are used to explore, map, and analyze interactions between terrestrial and fresh water systems. The course sequence is an interdisciplinary partnership between the West Virginia University Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Human Resources and Education.