Abstract
Young people should become aware of the fact that water is an important but rare resource and learn how to manage it efficiently. We present a project with some experiments for young students with that goal in mind. Students classified different types of soil and measured their electrical conductivity over time after being watered. They had to compare mathematical models that model soil behaviour in these circumstances based in the collected data. These experiments are also a good approach to show students how mathematics is useful and applies to real-life problems. In this work, we combine mathematical knowledge with technology and engineering subjects. The students witnessed the applicability of mathematics in engineering projects. They should be able to reason mathematically and use mathematical concepts, procedures, facts and tools to describe, explain and predict phenomena. Water conservation and management combined with mathematics learning is a perfect match, students were able to apply the mathematics they learned in the classroom and see its application in the real world, bridging any deficiencies they may have.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
https://www.eea.europa.eu/pt/sinais-da-aea/sinais-2018/artigos/utilizacao-da-agua-na-europa. Accessed 3 Jan 2021
Plano Nacional da água, AEA -Agência Europeia do Ambiente, Junho 2015. http://apambiente.pt/_zdata/Politicas/Agua/PlaneamentoeGestao/PNA/2015/PNA2015.pdf. Accessed 3 Jan 2021
Cosgrove, W.J., Loucks, D.P.: Water management: current and future challenges and research directions. Water Resour. Res. 51, 4823–4839 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1002/2014WR016869
United Nations World Water Assessment Programme (UN WWAP): The United Nations World Water Development, in Water in a Changing World, Rep. 3, pp. 380. Earthscan, London, U. K. (2009)
United Nations World Water Assessment Programme (UN WWAP): World Water Scenarios to 2050, Exploring Alternative Futures of the World’s Water and its Use to 2050. U. N. Educ. Sci. and Cult. Organ., Paris (2011)
United Nations World Water Assessment Programme (UN WWAP): The United Nations World Water Development, in Managing Water Under Risk and Uncertainty, Rep. 4, pp. 909. U. N. Educ. Sci. and Cult. Organ., Paris (2012)
United Nations World Water Assessment Programme (UN WWAP): Facing the Challenges, Water and Energy. U. N. Educ. Sci. and Cult. Organ., Paris (2014)
EC: The fifth Water Framework Directive Implementation Report – assessment of the second River Basin Management Plans and the first Floods Directive Implementation Report – assessment of the first Flood Risk Management Plans (2019)
Pahl-Wostl, C.: Transitions towards adaptive management of water facing climate and global change. Water Resour. Manage. 21, 49 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-006-9040-4
Refsgaard, J.C., van der Sluijs, J.P., Hojberg, A.L., et al.: Uncertainty in the environmental modelling process – a framework and guidance. Environ. Modell. Software 22(11), 1543–1556 (2007)
Michelle, Y.M., Patricia, B.-H., Chang, C.-H., Saidul, I., Chang, Y. (eds.): Education and sustainability: paradigms, policies, and practices in Asia. Abingdon, Routledge (2018)
Barros, M., et al.: AquaGuardians – a tutorial-based education game for population engagement in water management. In: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2017) – vol. 2, pp. 146–153 (2017). https://doi.org/10.5220/0006330801460153
Sauer, P.: Art of designing teaching laboratory experiments: the case of water management. Procedia. Soc. Behav. Sci. 122(19), 204–209 (2014)
George, D.A., Tan, P.-L., Clewett, J.F.: Identifying needs and enhancing learning about climate change adaptation for water professionals at the post-graduate level. Environ. Educ. Res. 22(1), 62–88 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2014.979136
Amahmid, O., et al.: Water education in school curricula: impact on children knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards water use. Int. Res. Geog. Environ. Educ. 28(3), 178–193 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2018.1513446
Kolb, A., Kolb, D.: Learning styles and learning spaces: enhancing experiential learning in higher education. Acad. Manage. Learn. Educ. 4(2), 193–212 (2005)
Datta, S., Taghvaeian, S., Stivers, J.: Understanding soil water content and thresholds for irrigation management, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, BAE-1537 (2017)
NRCS: National Engineering Handbook, Part 631: Engineering Geology, Chapter 3: Engineering Classification of Earth Materials, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington D.C. (2012)
Pereira, L.S.: Necessidades de água e métodos de rega. Colecção Euroagro. Publicações Europa América, Mem Martins (2004)
Horton, R.E.: An approach toward a physical interpretation of infiltration-capacity. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 5(C), 399–417 (1941)
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge FEDER/COMPETE/-NORTE2020/POCI/FCT funds through grants, UID/EEA/-00147/20 13/UID/IEEA/00147/ 006933-SYSTEC and To CHAIR - POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028247. This work was also supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2019, UID/MAT/00013/2013, UIDB/00013/2020, UIDP/00013/2020 and UIDB/04029/2020. We also acknowledge the Mathematical Engineering Laboratory (LEMA).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Caldeira, A. et al. (2022). Water Management in Several Types of Soil – A Hands-On Science Experiment for Students. In: Auer, M.E., Hortsch, H., Michler, O., Köhler, T. (eds) Mobility for Smart Cities and Regional Development - Challenges for Higher Education. ICL 2021. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 390. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93907-6_102
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93907-6_102
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-93906-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-93907-6
eBook Packages: Intelligent Technologies and RoboticsIntelligent Technologies and Robotics (R0)