Introduction to the Special Issue
on Indigenous Science "Education From Place: Best Practices on Turtle
Island"
Long ago, our grandfathers used to talk
about a great winter that would envelop our people. They said there would be a
time when our cultural life ways would be put to sleep and covered with a
blanket of snow. They said underneath the blanket of snow and deep within
the earth would be the seeds that would one day come into being. They predicted
there would be a springtime when everything would be reawakened on Turtle
Island. They said we are like the red willow that grows on the northern tundra.
Our cultural roots as Indigenous people cling tightly against the barest of rock
and earth. Yet we are strong and proud. The branches of the red willow remind us
of our resilience and our ability to withstand the many social forces that
threaten our existence.
Our Elders said there would come a springtime
when the sun would bring forth warmth. They said the mist and rains would wash
away all of our hurts, all of the turmoil, and all of our confusion. They said
the pieces of the puzzle would finally come together and from this understanding
we would know what happened to us was something much bigger. They said the buds
on the willow branches would begin to open up. They said our Indigenous ways of
knowing would once again sprout from the earth. They said our young people would
rise up as a new generation of thinkers, storytellers, dreamers, writers,
dancers, singers, drummers, artists, and poets. They said our young people would
one day take their rightful place in the world. They said all the music would
return just as nature sings life into being where the red willow grows. In this
special issue, we bear witness to a new song.
This issue of the Canadian Journal for Science, Mathematics and Technology Education
was intended to create an interdisciplinary dialogue on
Indigenous science education in the North American (Turtle Island) context. The
articles contribute to the growing literature base under the rubric of
cross-cultural studies in science education. They serve to remind readers the
complexity of thought in this field of study while providing current
developments and examples of what teachers and researchers are actually doing in
this area.
Incorporating Indigenous ways of
knowing in school science is a fact of life and amatter of policy in Canada, the
United States, and other Indigenous countries around the world. However, not
much is known about what strategies teachers actually use to bring Western
science and Indigenous ways of knowing together in specific cultural
contexts.Many teachers look for prepackaged curriculum, ready-made lessons, and
teaching strategies. However, few place-based resources, textbooks, and
materials exist that teachers can use as a starting point. In the article
entitled “Two-Eyed Seeing in the Classroom Environment: Concepts, Approaches,
and Challenges,” the authors outline concepts, approaches, and challenges
involved in integratingWestern science with Mi’kmaq
ways of knowing at Cape Breton University. By applying
the principles of Two-Eyed Seeing approach, knowledge domination and
assimilation are avoided while recognizing the best from both
worlds.
Indigenous people are a people of
place, and their ontologies, epistemologies, methodologies, and pedagogies are
rooted deep within their traditional territories. Access to Indigenous ways of
knowing involves Elders and community involvement. There are protocols that need
to be followed. A good example of a community–university research project is
provided in the article entitled “Pilimmaksarniq: Working Together for the Common
Good in Science Curriculum Development and Delivery in Nunuvut.” The authors
showcase a multi-year research project in which they describe ways they engaged
several Inuit communities in the development of science curriculum that was
reflective of their contextual realities.
The articulation of
community-based frameworks, processes, and guiding principles are essential in
the development of school science curriculum that embrace both Western science
and Indigenous ways of knowing. In the article entitled “Ininiwi-Kiskanitamowin: A Framework Model for
Long-Term Science Education.” The authors share their work in the context of
northern Manitoba within the traditional territories of the Swampy Cree. Guided
by a series of critical questions, the authors embark on a colearning journey
with a group of service teachers, consultants, and administrators in a focused
conference setting. Out of the dialogue emerges what the authors describe as a
“model and a philosophical overview for lifelong learning in science
education.”
Last but not least, decolonizing
science curriculum to accommodate Indigenous ways of knowing begins within the
inner world of teachers. Thinking “out of the box” and becoming open to other
ways of knowing requires ongoing self-reflective talk. Teachers need to
interrogate the ideologies and practices they use, which may not be suitable for
all Indigenous learners. In the article entitled “Decolonizing Science Education
and the Science Teacher: A White Teacher’s Perspective,” the author shares her
personal experiences with her own learning journey as a science teacher in an
Indigenous setting. She encourages teachers to become immersed within the
culture, worldview, language, and values of Indigenous people in order to teach
science that is balanced and life enhancing for all students regardless of
heritage.
I ask readers to take what they
need from the articles and leave the rest. Many thanks to the authors for their
words and wisdom as we move into another exciting era of cross-cultural
knowledge exchange in science education. And in the words of my Cree ancestors,
Ekosi!
Dr. Herman Michell
Associate
Professor
Vice President Academics
First Nations University of
Canada
Reprinted with permission of the author. The following are the
articles presented, with annotations by Glen Aikenhead.
Michell, Herman. (2009). Introduction to the
Special Issue on Indigenous Science Education From Place: Best Practices on
Turtle Island/Introduction au Numéro spécial sur l'enseignement des sciences en
milieu autochtone et sens du lieu: Pratiques d'excellence à Turtle Island. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and
Technology Education, 9(3), 137-140.
Hatcher, A.,
Bartlett, C., Marshall, A., & Marshall, M. (2009). Two-Eyed Seeing in the
classroom environment: Concepts, approaches, and challenges. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and
Technology Education, 9(3),
141-153.
The article
describes the integration of Mi’kmaq science and Western science at Cape Breton
University (Nova Scotia) in a unique program Integrative Science. Student
reactions make the description come alive. The influence of Elder guidance was
central.
Lewthwaite, B.,
& Renaud, R. (2009). Pilimmaksarniq: Working together for the
common good in science curriculum development and delivery in Nunavut. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and
Technology Education, 9(3),
154-172.
The authors
address the development and use of a quantitative instrument that can inform
school community discussions about science education and monitor the degree of
success in the curriculum development process that is founded on principles of
the Inuit in the Canadian territory of Nunavut.
Sutherland,
D.L., & Henning, D. (2009). Ininiwi-Kiskanitamowin: A framework for
long-term science education. Canadian
Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 9, 173-190.
The researchers
asked, “What are the necessary components for authentic and successful science
education programming for Indigenous students?” Their article provides an answer
on the basis of two sequential studies: a literature analysis study, and then an
interactive action-research project with 50 cross-cultural science educators
from schools in Manitoba, Canada. The results are synthesized as a “life long
learning model” for Indigenous students.
Belczewski, A.
(2009). Decolonizing science education and the science teacher: A White
teacher’s perspective. Canadian Journal
of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 9, 191-202.
Of particular
interest to non-Indigenous science educators, the author shares insights into
her fascinating journey towards a decolonized way of thinking and teaching
university Indigenous students to make their experience with her relevant,
meaningful, and respectful.
Didgeridoo joins sounds of science
A James Cook University PhD candidate has found a new
purpose for the iconic Aboriginal instrument the didgeridoo: educational
tool.
“A didgeridoo plus
a barometer makes a science experiment, and the lessons learned include kinetic
energy and sound transfer,” Philemon Chigeza said.
The didgeridoo
experiment is one lesson taught by Mr Chigeza at Djarragun College in Gordonvale
where he is a science teacher. Mr Chigeza’s extraordinary classes form part of
his thesis research which focuses on how the use of cultural resources can
assist in the understanding of Queensland’s science curriculum.
Djarragun College
has a predominantly Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander student base and is
well known for its high student retention and impressive academic results. Mr
Chigeza believes this is due to the school’s unique teaching practices.
“Many classes at
Djarragun are delivered in a way that better suits the Indigenous culture,” Mr
Chigeza said.
Mr Chigeza uses
his students’ local language, experiences and knowledge in applying science, and
said the students more willingly engage in learning as a result.
“This experience
facilitates these students to create and celebrate their ways of knowing and
take ownership of that knowledge. It is more likely to make them knowledge
creators and not recipients of other people’s knowledge,” Mr Chigeza
said.
Mr Chigeza uses both old and new Indigenous cultural
resources in his lessons. For example, students used the Kup Mauri (or Kopa Maurii) which is a traditional sand oven used to
cook food for feasting. This cultural practice was explored and used to explain
how heat transfers. This was also compared to modern substitutes for the sand
oven.
Taking it to the
playground, Mr Chigeza used a football game to teach about changing the angle of
kicking a football and exploring the forces acting on that football including
the gravitational pull and frictional drag.
“Indigenous
students are disadvantaged by language and cultural barriers in mainstream
Australian schools and I’m aiming to manipulate teaching techniques in a way
that they can respond to,” Mr Chigeza said.
Mr Chigeza is
hoping that his research will influence policy makers.
“I hope this
framework will allow other teachers and policy makers to provide a more
equitable and positive education experience for Indigenous students,” Mr Chigeza
said.“I want to raise the status of Indigenous
students in the education system to bring them on par with their non-Indigenous
counterparts.”
For
more information contact Jo Meehan, James Cook University Media on (07) 4781
4586. Philemon Chigeza can be contacted at philemon.chigeza@jcu.edu.au
.
Activities of Dr Ragbir Bhathal
Dr Ragbir Bhathal from the
University of Western Sydney was invited by IAU-UNESCO to give a talk on
Astronomy for Aboriginal students at the IAU-UNESCO Symposium held in Paris in
January 2009. After the Paris talk he gave a couple of public
lectures in Holland on Aboriginal Astronomy.
He and his group at UWS
are carrying out a project to improve the scientific and mathematical literacy
of Aboriginal students in the western suburbs of Sydney by using Aboriginal and
modern astronomy. The students use the University's engineering physics
laboratories to carry out physics-astronomy experiments. At night they use
the UWS Observatory's telescopes to study the heavens.
He and his
group are also carrying out a national project on Aboriginal astronomy
using both archival sources and oral history interviews with Aboriginal people.
Dr Bhathal is also investigating various sites which may have astronomical
significance in Aboriginal society and culture.
Dr Bhathal gave a
series of public lectures on Aboriginal astronomy to various groups for
Aboriginal Week in 2009. He also took part in the recent AIATSIS symposium on
Australian Indigenous astronomy
.
Dr
Bhathal can be contacted at R.Bhathal@uws.edu.au .
'Things belonging to the sky': a symposium on Indigenous
Astronomy
2009
is the International Year of Astronomy and with CSIRO and the International
Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), AIATSIS hosted the first forum for
debate and discussion focused on Australian
Indigenous Astronomy. In conjunction with the launch of art
exhibition Ilgarijliri - Things
belonging to the sky
, a one day symposium on Indigenous Astronomy was
held at the Institute on the 27 November 2009. The symposium brought together
leading expertise in the field to share knowledge and perspectives about
Australian Indigenous perceptions of the night sky.
Participants
included:
- Bill Yidumduma Harney, Wardaman elder - The
Wardaman sky
- Ray Norris, CSIRO Australia Telescope
National Facility - Aboriginal Australians - the world's first
astronomers?
- Charmaine Green, Yamaji Arts -
Ilgarijliri - Things belonging to the sky: arts perspective
- Joe Gumbula - Yolngu astronomy
- Munya Andrews - Dreamtime stars: an
exploration of Aboriginal astronomy
- Dianne Johnson - Interpretations of the
Pleiades in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait astronomies
- Duane Hamacher - The falling star at Puka:
using Aboriginal Dreaming stories to locate meteorite falls and impact
craters
- John Goldsmith - Cosmos, culture and
landscape, recent examples of art, science and culture working together,
inspired by the celestial
- Ragbir Bhathal - Perspectives on Aboriginal
astronomy
- John Whop - The philosophy of Tagai in the
Torres Strait
- Hugh Cairns - Pathways to mapping the night
sky
- John Morieson - The night sky legacy of the
Boorong clan - an interpretation (poster)
- Kaye McPherson - Veta: how the moon got her
scars (poster)
