Decolonizing the science curriculum: a path towards reconciliation

Chelcy D. Ross

The University of British Columbia

Decolonizing the science curriculum: a path towards reconciliation

Protocols of Place

Adi, Chelcy sts’utni. Saik’uz skeyoh. Hello, I am called Chelcy. Saik’uz is my country. I am of
Carrier and European ancestry. I am currently enrolled in the Masters of Educational Technology
through the University of British Columbia. I would like to acknowledge that I am writing this
paper on the traditional territory of the Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc First Nations. I am humbled
and honoured to be here while on this academic journey of professional development.

Introduction
I wish to begin my paper by telling a story regarding my assumptions of the science curriculum
and technology. My first teaching job was on my reserve, Saik’uz First Nation, teaching a
multigrade intermediate class. Saik’uz First Nation is a rural reserve located 14 kilometers south
of Vanderhoof, British Columbia, Canada (Saik’uz First Nation, 2015). The teaching experience
was challenging yet rewarding. Our school lacked resources and technology therefore I felt
limited in how to present the prescribed western curriculum. While studying the five kingdoms I
brought in various specimens I found on our land. One time I found this massive mushroom
which my students learned about when I taught the Kingdom Fungi. Years later I ran into a
student and he commented to me about the mushroom from that lesson. Upon reflection, I
realized I did not need ample technology and textbooks to teach the science curriculum rather I
just needed to have access to the land when teaching my students.

The effects of colonialism ripple through the Canadian educational system contributing to
disengagement and lack of authentic learning for Indigenous learners. Furthermore, an identified
challenge presented at a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization forum
was the “limited participation of … indigenous people in STEM study and occupations”
(Amadio, 2015). To combat this epidemic, The Truth and Reconciliation Commision of Canada
have called upon the government to provide sufficient funding to close identified educational
achievement gaps, improve education success rates and develop culturally appropriate
curriculum (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015). I argue in order to foster
reconciliation, this epidemic needs to be fought at the ground level within an educator’s
classroom. But, how does an educator decolonize the science curriculum to enhance their
practice as well as engage Indigenous learners? The government of British Columbia is taking a
similar “approach adopted by the Australian Federal government” (Ruddell et al, 2016) which
requires Indigenous knowledge to be embedded within the science curriculum. Ms. Dallas
(pseudonym) an experienced teacher from an elementary school in British Columbia identified
the lack of resources and reputable websites when attempting to integrate Indigenous knowledge
within her science curriculum. This paper will explore research studies on the incorporation of
Indigenous knowledge systems with the dominant western science concepts to enhance an
educator’s pedagogical approaches as well as increase the engagement of Indigenous learners.

Methodology
To answer my daunting research question I began by revisiting an inquiry paper I wrote in ETEC
521: Indigeneity, Technology and Education on indigenizing the mathematics curriculum. I
recalled some of the papers I referenced also pertained to the science curriculum. Unfortunately,
that endeavour was not as fruitful as I had anticipated therefore my next step was conducting
research using The University of British Columbia (UBC) library online database. I began my
Decolonizing the science curriculum: a path towards reconciliation

search using the keywords STEM indigenous learners. This search produced multiple resources
which I narrowed down to only journal articles written within the last five years and available
online. After reading titles and abstracts I selected four articles which met my criteria of
Indigenous science education, teacher development and student engagement. These articles were
based from Canada, the United States of America, New Zealand, and Australia. I knew from
previous research project that Indigenous communities in these countries suffered similar effects
from colonization thus would be relevant to my research topic. While reading the papers I
discovered that not all did met the criteria required for the assignment. For example, while
Howard and Kern’s paper on The role of story and place in Indigenous science education:
Bigfoot in a youth-designed ecological restoration plan was a very interesting read and presented
concepts beneficial to science teachers it was a critical self-reflection not an empirical research
study. Therefore, I revisited the online UBC library database using the key words indigenous
learners and the science curriculum. I once again followed the same protocol to select another
article which was an empirical research study. A common challenge I found while trying to
select articles for my assignment was I found many of the articles were personal reflections or
articles written based on other researchers data collection.
Annotated Bibliography
Article 1: Marin, A., & Bang, M. (2015). Designing pedagogies for indigenous science
education: Finding our way to storywork. Journal of American Indian Education, 54(2), 29-51.
This article examined how Indigenous educators could design effective pedagogies which
combine Indigenous knowledge systems with western scientific concepts in summer and
afterschool programs. Marin & Bang (2015) based their work on the analysis of teacher design
meetings which took place over a “5 month period”. They grounded their work with evidence
from previous studies on Indigenous teachings and the need for culturally responsive education
within the science field. The article resonated empowerment and self-determination which is
evident in the authors identifying a new methodology called community-based design research
(CBDR). This methodology is based on a “design team [that includes] elders, parents,
community experts, content professional, other interested community members and youth”
(Marin & Bang, 2015). A strength of the study is, all eight teachers who participated in the
design meetings are of Indigenous ancestry and are working directly with Indigenous learners.
The authors concluded the effectiveness of CBDR as it allowed educators to regain a sense of
self. The use of storywork to launch science lessons “became part of a decolonizing pathway”
(Marin & Bang, 2015) for students and educators as it honored the Indigenous science teachings.
The article was well articulated and provided empowerment for me as an Indigenous educator.
Article 2: Ruddell, N., Danaia, L., & McKinnon, D. (2016). Indigenous sky stories : Reframing
how we introduce primary school students to astronomy : A type II case study of
implementation.Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 45(2), 170-180.
doi:10.1017/jie.2016.21
Ruddell et al., (2016) present a strong case for incorporating Indigenous knowledge and western
science concepts. They provided ample background knowledge and theoretical framework to
support their research topic. Through a Type II case study, “one in which multiple data sources
from one site are examined from multiple viewpoints” (Ruddell et al., 2016), of an Australian
school participating in The Indigenous Sky Stories Program (ISS) the authors were able to ensure
Decolonizing the science curriculum: a path towards reconciliation

authenticity of their data collection and findings. The ISS program is a pilot project which
provided schools with resources and teachers with professional development of pedagogical
approaches to embedding cultural themes in their science curriculum. The authors concluded
“having the local Indigenous community and its knowledge within the learning space was critical
to the ISS” program (Ruddell et al., 2016). There was an increased engagement from both
Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners inside and outside of the classroom. The students were
excited to learn about a cultural sky stories told by an Elder and combine this knowledge with
western science concepts. In addition to researching increased participation of learners within the
science curriculum Ruddell et al. (2016) also reported on the attendance rates while the program
was implemented. I did not see any relevance for including these findings within in this study for
I felt it was an underdeveloped topic at this stage. The authors stated a conclusion but based it on
minimal data and even stated more data would need to be collected to delve into this topic
further.
Article 3: Loewen, J., Kinshuk, & Suhonen, J. (2018). I-DIGEST framework: Towards authentic
learning for indigenous learners. Smart Learning Environments, 5(1), 1-16. doi:10.1186/s40561-
018-0053-2
Lowen et al., (2018) noted a lack of research pertaining to the fusing of Indigenous knowledge
with Western knowledge systems in a formalized manner, thus the authors proposed “an I-
DIGEST (InDIGEnous digital STorytelling) framework”. Within, my own practice I have
included digital storytelling within the English Language Arts curriculum therefore I was
intrigued to learn more about this framework and how it could be used within the science
curriculum. The I-DIGEST framework merged digital storytelling “on a graphical, interactive
map within a formalized learning environment” (Lowen et al., 2018). The authors justified their
proposed framework through extensive research based on previous studies. It was noted the
development and implementation of the framework was labor and time intensive as it included 5
phases; knowledge gathering, knowledge building, learning design, ICT implementation, and
tool creation. The first phase was beneficial as it involved community knowledge keepers
sharing the Indigenous stories therefore Indigenous learners would have access to authentic
learning. Although the next phases involved a huge degree of technology savviness, as the digital
stories had to be transferred to a LMS which was compatible for both mobile devices and
computers. The proposed framework also suggested allowing students to be able to upload their
own digital stories using a mobile app. To test their validity of their framework the researchers
conducted a case study using the plants of Haida Gwaii and only presented and received
feedback from 5 Indigenous and 5 non-Indigenous educational and educational technology
experts. This is a very small sample size and questions the authenticity of their findings. The
framework sounds promising but more researching would need to be conducted to ensure
validity of it. Also, it would not be feasible for an educator within a classroom to implement this
framework for it would be costly, labor and time consuming. I suggest it would need to be either
a district or provincial initiative in order to make it work due the cost and labour required.
Conclusion
Indigenous knowledge systems are underrepresented and perceived as inferior within the western
educational system. This reality has led to disengagement and lack of authentic learning for
Indigenous youth. As well, it has as perpetuated the colonization of our country. As educators it
is our duty to research and identify pedagogies which will empower and engage Indigenous
Decolonizing the science curriculum: a path towards reconciliation

learners. All three articles argued for learning design that is place-based learning with strong
community connections. Another element of the design identified was the need for the science
curriculum to be taught from the perspective of Indigenous knowledge systems first then
combine the western scientific concepts. Marin & Bang (2015) determined storywork not only
empowered the Indigenous learners but also the teachers implementing it. Ruddell et al, (2016)
also determined introducing astronomy from a cultural story was an effective way to engage
Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners. By incorporating these design elements within a
science curriculum an educator is contributing to a path of reconciliation for Indigenous peoples
and all peoples.

References

Amadio, M. (2015). STEM education and the curriculum: Issues, tensions and challenges [PDF
file]. Retrieved from https://www.akademisains.gov.my/download/STEM%20education%20and
%20curriculum.pdf
Howard, M., & Kern, A. (2018). The role of story and place in indigenous science education:
Bigfoot in a youth-designed ecological restoration plan. Cultural Studies of Science Education, ,
1-21. doi:10.1007/s11422-018-9888-7
Loewen, J., Kinshuk, & Suhonen, J. (2018). I-DIGEST framework: Towards authentic learning
for indigenous learners. Smart Learning Environments, 5(1), 1-16. doi:10.1186/s40561-018-
0053-2
Marin, A., & Bang, M. (2015). Designing pedagogies for indigenous science education: Finding
our way to storywork. Journal of American Indian Education, 54(2), 29-51.
Ruddell, N., Danaia, L., & McKinnon, D. (2016). Indigenous sky stories : Reframing how we
introduce primary school students to astronomy : A type II case study of
implementation.Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 45(2), 170-180.
doi:10.1017/jie.2016.21
Saik’uz First Nation. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.saikuz.com/
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). Truth and Reconciliation Commission
of Canada: Calls to Action [PDF file]. Retrieved from Truth and Reconciliation of Canada
Retrieved from
http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/File/2015/Findings/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf