Indigenous  Science  Network  Bulletin

June 2007 (Volume 10, Number 3) ISSN  1449-2091 Editor: Michael Michie Tiwi designs by Jennifer Coombs Munupi Arts & Crafts Association, Pirlangimpi, Melville Island, NT Indigenous Science Links

NEWS and VIEWS

Turning the Tide (Aotearoa New Zealand)

Russell Bishop, author of Culture Speaks: Cultural relationships and classroom learning, was featured recently on TV3’s 60 Minutes.  The article, entitled ‘Turning the Tide’, investigated the alarming fact that less than 50% of Maori males leave school with any qualifications, and offers a way to turn things around.  (Russell Bishop's research program is called Te Kotahitanga.)

The TV program can be seen as a streaming video at http://www.tv3.co.nz/default.aspx?tabid=112&articleID=25689#vidlist25689.

The book, Culture Speaks, was published in late 2006 and proposes Bishop’s strategies for teachers to increase their effectiveness in the teaching and learning of students from Māori and Pacific origins. To find out more about the book visit the Huia Publishers website at http://www.huia.co.nz/books/474. Bishop's report to the New Zealand Ministry of Education, entitled "Te Kotahitanga: The experiences of year 9 and 10 Maori students in mainstream classes", can be accessed at http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?layout=document&documentid=8771&data=l. (Thanks to Huia Publishers for some of the background information regarding the TV program and the book.)

RESOURCES

International History & Philosophy of Science Teaching Group newsletter
The April issue of the IHPST newsletter is now available on the web at http://www.ihpst.org/newsletters.html. Its contents are:

1.         2007 IHPST Conference (April 15 submission deadline)
2.         Science & Education Report (Vol.16 No.6)
3.         Vale, David Gruender (1928-2007)
4.         NARST Conference: History, Philosophy & Sociology Strand
5.         Current Research
6.         Book Review Eric R. Scerri The Periodic Table-Its Story and Its Significance, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2007. Reviewed by: Kevin C. de Berg, Avondale College, NSW,  Australia
7          Contextual Teaching Anthology
8.         Publications for Sale
9.         Coming Conferences
10.       Future Newsletter Items
11.       IHPST Email List

The May issue of the IHPST newsletter is also available on the web at http://www.ihpst.org/newsletters.html. Its contents are:

1.         2007 IHPST Conference (May 30 Registration deadline)
2.         Science & Education Report (Vol.16 Nos.7-8, Models special issue)
3.         International Society for the Philosophy of Chemistry (ISPC), 2007 Summer Symposium, August 5-9, San Francisco
4.         Current Research
5.         Book Notes
6.         Publications for Sale
7.         Coming Conferences
8.         Future Newsletter Items
9.         IHPST Email List

Gwalwa-Gai (Australia)
Please click on the link below to view the seventh edition of Gwalwa-Gai, the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health’s electronic newsletter.

 http://www.crcah.org.au/enews/Gwalwa-Gai7/gwalwagai7.html

Double Helix (Australia)
Scientriffic is a magazine produced by the CSIRO's Double Helix science club for children aged 7+, so it's aimed at primary/elementary age students. In the November-December 2006 issue (issue 46) it covered some indigenous issues in science:

"In this issue, discover how Indigenous Australians, scientists and educators are teaming up to find new ways to look after Australia and its people. We take a look at the 'Burning for Biodiversity' project in the Northern Territory and the not-for-profit organisation Blackbase, from Queensland." (Editorial)

There are also articles on Indigenous games (including one called Koolchee), Desert dreaming and on Indigenous astronomy.

The Scientriffic website is at www.csiro.au/scientriffic.

The Helix is the other magazine produced by the Double Helix, for children aged 10+. There was an article entitled "Survivor Australia: Indigenous know-how" in the February-March 2007 issue, as well as items on the Seven Sisters (the Pleiades) and on Aboriginal painting.

The Helix website is at www.csiro.au/helix.

Re-imaging science education (Australia)
Russell Tytler from Deakin University recently undertook a review of science education in Australia. The paper "Re-imaging science education" is available at http://www.acer.edu.au/research/reports/documents/AER51.pdf. 

Maori Environmental Knowledge and natural hazards in Aotearoa-New Zealand
The manuscript, "Maori Environmental Knowledge and natural hazards in Aotearoa-New Zealand", which appeared in Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, volume 37, issue 2 has now been abstracted on the Royal Society of NZ website. You can view the abstract at
http://www.rsnz.org/publish/jrsnz/2007/005.php

North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA)

NAILSMA consists of a partnership between the Kimberley, Northern and Carpentaria Land Councils and the Balkanu Cape York Development Association. The Tropical Savannas Management Cooperative Research Centre hosts the organisation at the Charles Darwin University in Darwin. Their website is at http://www.nailsma.org.au/.

The North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILMSA) is seeking a full-time Communication and Project Support Officer for its Dugong and Marine Turtle Project. Web address: http://www.nailsma.org.au/projects/dugong_turtle.html. Applications close 8 June, 2007. It is located in Darwin at the Charles Darwin University. We strongly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to apply for this position. In order to apply, please obtain an application package by accessing Charles Darwin University People Management and Development at http://www.cdu.edu.au/pmd/vacancies.html or Tel: Recruitment Answering Service, (08) 8946 6284 or email: recruitment@cdu.edu.au. Direct informal inquiries to Joe Morrison, Tel: (08) 89466 702.

CONFERENCES

No new information. See calendar below for dates of upcoming conferences.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

This is mostly a summary of upcoming conferences. More details may have been given above or in previous bulletins as shown. A web-based contact is usually included. Inclusion of conferences in this list is not to be read as an endorsement of the conference.

2007

June 2007

26-29 June: Fourteenth International Conference on Learning, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, http://www.LearningConference.com (Dec06)

July 2007

2-6 July: World Environmental Education Congress 2007, International Conference Centre, Durban, South Africa www.weec2007.com (August06)

3-6 July: Seventh International Conference on Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, http://www.Diversity-Conference.com (Feb07)

8-12 July: World Conference on Science and Technology Education (ICASE/CONASTA56), Perth WA. http://www.WorldSTE2007.asn.au (August05)

10-13 July: Second International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, University of Granada, Spain, http://www.SocialSciencesConference.com (October06)

11-13 July: 2007 Indigenous Studies & Indigenous Knowledge Conference, hosted by Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning and the Indigenous Program Units at University of Technology, Sydney. For more information visit the conference website at http://www.isik.org.au/. (April07)

11-14 July: 38th Annual Conference, Australasian Science Education Research Association (ASERA), Fremantle WA, http://www.education.ecu.edu.au/conferences/ASERA/  (Dec06)

17-20 July: 5th International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities, American University of Paris, France, http://www.HumanitiesConference.com (Dec06)

24-27 July: Seventh International Conference on Knowledge, Culture and Change in Organisations, Singapore Management University, Singapore,  http://www.ManagementConference.com (Feb07)

September 2007

3-7 September: World Congress of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES), Living Together, Education and Intercultural Dialogue in Sarajevo. For more information, visit www.wcces2007.ba. (April07)

November 2007

13-16 November: Second International Conference on Science and Mathematics Education (CoSMEd) 2007, Penang, Malaysia.  (http://www.recsam.edu.my/cosmed/) (April07)

15-19 November:  IIId International Conference of The Social Capital Foundation, in Waikiki, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii. http://www.socialcapital-foundation.org/conferences/synopsis.htm. (Oct06)

2008

March 2008

29 March - 3 April: National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) annual meeting, Baltimore, (http://narst.org)

July 2008

6-11 July: CONASTA57, Darwin NT

ASERA, Brisbane Qld

Date not set

World Indigenous People's Conference on Education (WIPCE 2008), Victoria, Australia