To facilitate students’ ability to conceptualize the groundwater environment, teach instructors the fundamentals of assessing for conceptual understanding of science concepts. For example, the teacher can identify what language the students are using to describe groundwater and consequently what possible alternative conceptions may need to be explicitly addressed. Continue reading →

To facilitate students’ ability to conceptualize the groundwater environment, engage teachers in learning how to develop appropriate assessment materials. For example, model use of preassessment to assess students’ groundwater understandings using various types of multiplechoice items, open-ended questions, and drawing prompts. Ask teachers to analyze what types of information each item provides and construct an appropriateinstructional plan based on the responses. Continue reading →

To increase understanding of complex concepts related to groundwater:

• Add a groundwater emphasis to science standards, such as in the National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996);
• Provide increased attention to students’ spatial reasoning abilities;
• Provide formal instruction for science teachers concerning groundwater; and
• Design appropriate assessments.

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