Embedded Files
Experiencing the Pluriverse
Co-production is a process for addressing power imbalances that traditionally shape the classroom. This power imbalance often positions the teacher as the sole knower or keeper of knowledge, who then transmits it to students. This reflects the ‘sage on the stage’ model of teaching. Co-production instead positions knowledge as something that can be co-produced by both teacher and students through mutual relationships. Building on the previous modules and Sandbox games, co-production is likely already happening in your classroom to some extent. With this module we consider the Indigenous concept of two-eyed seeing as an approach to co-producing knowledge with non-human beings as well as students.
Two-eyed seeing, or in the Mi'kmaw language ‘Etuaptmumk’, refers to the ability to understand, analyze, and problem-solve issues from multiple perspectives, such as Indigenous and Western science perspectives. This is an important concept for relational learning because it cultivates the ability to be open to and work within multiple perspectives, which is important for sustainability problem-solving. To get a better understanding of Etuaptmumk, please read this article from the Institute for Integrative Science and Health
Reading
Reading
3 Sisters (Indigenous American Agriculture) - Chapter from Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The three sisters is an Indigenous agricultural technique that developed from mutual relationships between three plant species. This is an example of co-production because there is mutual production between plants, soil, and humans, instead of the traditional Western approach to agriculture that emphasizes production solely for humans.
VIEWING
VIEWING
This video introduces the concept of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and discusses how it enables Indigenous people to reconnect with their cultures and knowledges that were almost destroyed through colonization. Further, Traditional Ecological Knowledge can inform Western scientific approaches to sustainability. Bringing TEK and science together for regenerative solutions is an example of two-eyed seeing.
Sandbox Game 3 → TWO-EYED SEEING
Sandbox Game 3 → TWO-EYED SEEING
Main activity: Two-eyed seeing with plants
What’s the goal? The purpose of this activity is to encourage students to develop skills that will help them learn from entities that are not representative of traditional “teachers” and in ways that differ from Western teaching methods. This activity introduces sensuous and embodied ways of knowing with plants, as well as Western scientific practices of naming and classifying.
How is this activity linked to relationality and sustainability? This activity promotes the cultivation of relationships with non-human beings, specifically, plant beings. In our culture we often do not consider plants as other beings we can relate with and learn from, and this activity aims to invite such relationships. Relating with non-human beings in this way, as friends and teachers, is valuable for sustainability because it connects students with their natural environment and promotes pro environmental behavior, such as empathy and responsibility toward the non-human environment.
How do you use this activity? Follow the detailed instructions on the document - there are three listed ways to carry out the activity, and we encourage you to engage with all three methods. The three methods are: Embodied Knowledge with Plants, Plant Observation and Identification, and Sensuous Experiences with Plants. There is also a closing reflection.
Facilitation tips (when applicable): We strongly encourage reflection journaling and/or collective discussions with students.
Reflection Questions
Reflection Questions
How has your perspective of the plants you worked with changed after participating in this activity?
Has your perspective of knowledge changed after participating in this activity?
Are there certain sustainability or environmental topics and issues you are interested in applying two-eyed seeing to? If yes, what issues and how might you apply two-eyed seeing in this case?
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