An Interactive Educational Module to Introduce Elementary School Students to Water Resources and Environmental Systems Management

摘要

Many elementary school students, especially those in low-income urban areas,do not place a high priority on performance in courses such as mathematics andscience that will prepare them for scientific and technical careers. It is expected thatexposure to exciting real-world engineering and mathematics applications at gradeappropriatelevels will inspire such students to view these subjects with moreenthusiasm and motivation. Such exposure will also improve the likelihood thatthese students eventually choose engineering careers. This paper describes somelearning materials and an interactive computer-based module that have beendeveloped to introduce elementary students to water resources and environmentalengineering problem-solving and issues in water resources management. The moduleincludes computer simulation tools that have easy-to-interpret graphical displays tohelp students understand the effects of implementing various system managementstrategies on issues such as environmental response, cost, and equity. A classexercise has been developed where students work in teams representing variousinterest groups involved in a water resources system. The class exercises introducestudents to the issues that different interest groups face and to the concept ofmanaging a water resources system as a whole through optimization to benefit allgroups. This educational module is intended to increase the students' awareness ofwater resources and environmental issues, as well as the role of mathematics andscience in effectively analyzing and managing these problems.