By Liliane Dionne, Diane Campeau and Makwa Atisokan
Recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and many scientific bodies have concluded that the increase in extreme weather events has been caused by our use of fossil fuels. To reduce those emissions – and our environmental footprint – we need to change our lifestyle. In our view, integrating Indigenous perspectives into environmental education is one of the keys to accomplishing this and ensuring a more sustainable future.
The focus of this article is to improve science and environmental teaching practices in grades K-8 by integrating inspiring methods from Indigenous studies. Long before the Europeans colonized North America, Indigenous communities were successful keepers of Turtle Island. It is time to honor and respect this traditional knowledge. In this article, we present fundamental concepts that govern the introduction of Indigenous perspectives. We also share some teaching practices for their successful integration in the classroom. But our aim is to support the creativity of teachers to implement environmental education with Indigenous dimensions. To help illustrate these guiding principles, we include a fourth-grade activity about the moose, a sacred animal for the Anishinabek people.
Historically, Indigenous perspectives have been scarce in school curricula across North America. For decades, history taught in schools has perpetuated false representations and an inaccurate portrait of the relations between European settlers and Indigenous communities. Why have the many benefits and knowledge that we, as descents of European settlers, have gained and learned from Indigenous Peoples, not been shared in history classes?
The Indigenous science paradigm
How does Indigenous education relate to science and environmental education? Indigenous education is woven from different cultural and interrelated strands: territory, storytelling, place-based learning, history, language and knowledge [2]. Indigenous science education is a place-based form of knowledge, and is interpreted through multiple perspectives in the context of a conscious living universe. This paradigm emphasizes balance and harmony, in a cyclical and circular vision through an interactive and reciprocal relationship with the physical and metaphysical world [3]. This paradigm corresponds to a science perspective in which there is no hierarchy of knowledge, and in which learning is experiential, ecological, and rooted in the living environment. Within the context of science and environmental education, legends or storytelling related to the topic of study are central to develop learners’ awareness about Indigenous cosmology or epistemology [4]. Another two essential components of this paradigm are place-based pedagogy and nature pedagogy, which are both interdisciplinary and experiential. It is about going outside to connect with the environment, the self and the community. This paradigm also challenges the role of the teacher as the sole master of knowledge because the environment itself becomes a co-teacher [5].
As we know, teachers are key players in promoting a scientific and traditional /reciprocal understanding of the environment. They foster the development of critical thinking skills that would enable young people to evaluate information and to affect change in their life. Traditional ecological knowledge can help teachers better develop awareness about nature among their students. To foster hope, sharing stories about how biodiversity was maintained for millenaries is an important strategy. Making clear links between today’s environment and Indigenous communities’ traditional mode of living can help to deepen students’ caring about Mother-Earth.
There are various methods of fostering Indigenous knowledge—some of which will be presented here. The first step is to identify the Indigenous territory on which one’s school or university is located. (A resource called Native Land Digitamaps [6] is very helpful, as it shows many Indigenous territories worldwide.) The notion of territory is important for Indigenous communities because their cultural traditions are connected to the land. The territory is the place where they lived and learned, and where their ancestors are buried. This activity of acknowledging and knowing the territory can help to learn about the traditional names of places, most of which were lost in the process of colonization. Directly contacting local Indigenous communities or visiting their websites are ways to obtain these traditional names [7].
The Ottawa River watershed, where we live and where the University of Ottawa is built, corresponds to the territory of Omàmìwininì Anishinàbeg Aki (the ancestral territory of the Algonquin people). Knowledge keepers, Elders and members of the Kitigan-Zibi Anishinàbeg community are our resource people. In order to develop meaningful Indigenous education activities, it is important for us to build positive relationships and to foster a healthy rapport with members of nearby First Nations, from whom the guidance, teachings and traditional protocols originate.
Based on this cultural landscape, the second step is to find an oral tradition related to the topic of a lesson. If written oral traditions are not accessible, another means to gain access to those meaningful stories is to invite an Indigenous Elder or activist into the classroom.
The third step is to introduce place-based and nature pedagogy into the lesson. It is a method to help explore the outdoors, and to learn about the ecosystems, animals and plants growing on the surrounding land. When K-8 teachers bring students outside to collect plants, to plant crops or to count natural artefacts, their students can also develop mathematical concepts. Scientific and environmental understanding builds as they actively engage in learning about life, water cycles and patterns within plants—and as they develop an understanding of sustainability and its impact on individuals. This additional strategy of learning more deeply about a territory requires an investment of time, resources and energy.
Conclusion
Teaching practices that integrate Indigenous knowledge and concepts will lead to greater environmental awareness among learners. They will also help us fight climate change by teaching students about solutions that are sustainable, respectful of nature and socially just. Collaboration between schools and Indigenous Peoples, governments and environmental organizations is essential to meet this global challenge. We believe a paradigm shift is needed to ensure an efficient integration of Indigenous knowledge into both STEM and environmental education lessons. In many parts of North America, Indigenous communities are located close to schools. Strengthening partnerships between schools and Indigenous communities and organizations helps to facilitate this integration. Both in-service and pre-service teachers will require professional development that emphasizes cultural awareness and the recognition of Indigenous knowledge. The indigenization of teachers at all levels requires interdisciplinary programs that foster environmental and cultural self-awareness, and the integration of inclusive teaching approaches that respect Indigenous culture and traditions.
Policy makers, stakeholders and teachers need work together in a meaningful way to reduce climate change and mitigate its consequences. University researchers and teachers need to collaborate in investigating the effectiveness of additional teaching approaches and to develop and field-test those activities. If faculties/colleges of education, school boards and educators acknowledge and incorporate Indigenous knowledge in classrooms, we will all be better equipped to fight climate change.
Liliane Dionne is a professor at the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa. Her focus is to provide teachers with insightful professional development and teaching activities that protect nature. She was the principal researcher of the project called Tableau STE, funded by the Social Studies and Humanities Research Council. Diane Campeau is a visiting professor at the Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa. Her research area is the integration of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in the classroom. She is also a lecturer in Indigenous education at the University of Alberta. Makwa Atisokan (Yvon H. Couture) is author of the Indigenous story for the moose activity. Makwa is an ethno-historian writer of Algonquin-Nippising ancestry, and an Elder of the Wâwâshkêwini Nation. He has published many books about the history, culture and the traditions of Indigenous people living on Turtle Island.
Tableau STE
Launched in 2017, Tableau STE is a website to help elementary francophone teachers improve their science teaching [8]. Based on the science and technology curriculum, the ready-to-use teaching activities are the result of a collaborative research conducted with 17 teachers from Ontario and Quebec. More recently, our aim has been to enrich the website with insightful environmental education practices and teaching content that includes Indigenous dimensions.