Improving Conceptual Understanding of Southwestern Watersheds: Interdisciplinary Visualizations

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Improving Conceptual Understanding of Southwestern Watersheds: Interdisciplinary VisualizationsThe University of Arizona is improving Earth science teachers' understanding and teaching of interdisciplinary geosciences through the use of visualizations of watersheds. The project is providing "pre-packaged" visualizations of real watershed data for several different watersheds in the lower Colorado Basin (i.e., Salt/Verde, Bill Williams, Santa Cruz, San Pedro). Data from many sources (e.g., EPA, USGS, Arizona Department of Water Resources) that cover different spatial and temporal periods is being formatted. Visual representations of data for characteristics such as water quality, vegetative cover, land use, and topography are being provided to teachers as both electronic files and hard copies. Activities that facilitate meaningful learning about watersheds include using visualizations to understand the constituent parts; integrating those parts into a unified system; and then demonstrating the ability to separate and reintegrate the parts of that system. Participating teachers are developing a sophisticated systemic understanding of watersheds, and are becoming competent and comfortable teaching with visualizations in ways that facilitate student conceptual development and visualization skills. Their students are studying watersheds from interdisciplinary perspectives, and demonstrating knowledge of watersheds as systems through learning and teaching activities. This project uses real contexts from interdisciplinary perspectives including the Earth sciences, natural resources management, geography, and public policy. Interdisciplinary learning is critical for young citizens of a semi-arid state with limited water resources, rapidly increasing population, pressing trans-boundary water issues, and periods of prolonged drought. Regular follow-up meetings, material support, and classroom support from watershed education specialists is being provided to the teachers.