Stewardship 12

The above images were created by SD73 Graphics and the information about the First Peoples Principles of Learning were obtained from fnesc.ca

The goals of the Stewardship 12 course are as follows:

(1) Address the critical role that TEK, Indigenous science, Indigenous languages, and Indigenous leadership have in connecting students to land and place and building environmental citizenship and sustainability practices (Aikenhead & Michell, 2011; Turner, Ignace & Ignace, 2000).

(2) Teach and foster sustainable ways of living among learners and educators by acknowledging, learning from, and weaving together TEK, Indigenous science, Indigenous languages, Indigenous leadership, environmental citizenship and sustainability science (Aikenhead & Michell, 2011; Demssie et al., 2020; Snively & Williams, 2016; Whyte et. al., 2016).

(3) Connect local (Secwépemc) knowledge and global research and literature into resources developed for both teachers and students.

(4) Demonstrate what Indigenous Science looks like within the British Columbia curricular framework; a Science 12 course that is rooted within First Peoples Principles of Learning, experiential learning opportunities, thematic inquiry, and sustainability citizenship practices (https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/science/12/specialized-science).

(5) Educate about how Indigenous people, language and cultures locally and globally are negatively impacted by climate change (Cajete, 2020).

(6) Highlight how Indigenous languages and leadership are intricately connected to sustainable land practices and biodiversity of plants and animals, (Arriaga-Jimenez et. al., 2018; Chiblow and Meighan, 2021; Turner, 2014; Ignace & Ignace, 2017; Wilder et. al., 2016).

(7) Critically and creatively analyze how to respond to the devastating effects of climate change through restoration efforts that balance Indigenous knowledge and perspectives with Western scientific knowledge to embody respect, reciprocity, and responsibility through stewardship practices (Dickson-Hoyle et al., 2022).

The impacts of climate change on Indigenous peoples, communities, and languages are being felt and seen locally and globally. The essential role of Indigenous science and TEK needs to be at the forefront of education as we work toward active practices of reconciliation, restoration, and language revitalization. To create environmental stewards and caretakers of the land, we must teach and learn with a harmonized balance of Indigenous science knowledge and protocols alongside of Western science and environmental sustainability practices and put Indigenous language revitalization at the forefront of this educational journey.

The following inquiry and systematic review, "Supporting Indigenous Students in Science and STEM," underpins the purpose and development of the Stewardship 12 course. The results of this systematic review are in line with the vision and goals of the Stewardship 12 course.

References:

Aikenhead, G. S.; Michell, H. (2011). Bridging Cultures : Scientific and Indigenous Ways of Knowing Nature. Pearson Canada.

Arriaga-Jiménez, Pérez-Díaz, C., & Pillitteri, S. (2018). Ka’ux: Mixe Language and Biodiversity Loss in Oaxaca, Mexico. Regions & Cohesion, 8(3), 127–143. https://doi.org/10.3167/reco.2018.080308

Bell. (2009). Learning Science in Informal Environments : People, Places, and Pursuits. National Academies Press.

British Columbia Ministry of Education (2018). Curriculum Overview. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/overview

Brown, A. (2022). Environmental Science for Sustainability Education: How Indigenous Youth Engage with Critical Pedagogies and Traditional Ecological Knowledge to Enhance Science for Citizenship. Research Proposal.

Cajete, G. A. (2020). Indigenous Science, Climate Change, and Indigenous Community Building: A Framework of Foundational Perspectives for Indigenous Community Resilience and Revitalization. Sustainability, 12 (22), 9569–. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229569.

Chiblow, & Meighan, P. J. (2021). Language is Land, Land is Language: The Importance of Indigenous Languages. Human Geography, 194277862110228–. https://doi.org/10.1177/19427786211022899

Demssie, Y. N., Biemans, H. J., Wesselink, R., & Mulder, M. (2020) Combining Indigenous Knowledge and Modern Education to Foster Sustainability Competencies : Towards a Set of Learning Design Principles. Sustainability, 12 (17), 6823–. https://doi.org/

Dickson‐Hoyle, Ignace, R. E., Ignace, M. B., Hagerman, S. M., Daniels, L. D., & Copes‐Gerbitz, K. (2022). Walking on Two Legs: A Pathway of Indigenous Restoration and Reconciliation in Fire‐Adapted Landscapes. Restoration Ecology, 30(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13566

First Nations Education Steering Committee (2007). First Peoples Principles of Learning. http://www.fnesc.ca/first-peoples-principles-of-learning/

Fuchs, T., & Tan, Y. S. M. (2021, June 3). Frameworks Supporting Socially Responsible Science Education: Opportunities, Challenges, and Implementation [Conference presentation]. Canadian Society for the Study of Education Conference.

Ignace, M. & Ignace, R. E. (2017). Secwépemc People, Land, and Laws = Yerí7 re Stsqʼeyʼs-kucw. McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Iwama, M.K., Thomson, N. A., & Macdonald, R. M. (2009). The Kawa model: The power of culturally responsive occupational therapy. Disability and Rehabilitation, 31(14), 1125–1135.

Jin, Q. (2021). Supporting Indigenous Students in Science and STEM Education: A Systematic Review. Education Sciences, 11(9), 555–. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11090555

Mack, E., Augare, H., Different Cloud-Jones, L., Davíd, D., Quiver Gaddie, H., Honey, R. E., Kawagley, A. O., Little Plume-Weatherwax, M., Lone Fight, L., Meier, G., Pete, T., Rattling Leaf, J., Returns From Scout, E., Sachatello-Sawyer, B., Shibata, H., Valdez, S., & Wippert, R. (2012). Effective practices for creating transformative informal science education programs grounded in Native ways of knowing. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 7(1), 49–70.

Meyer, X. & Crawford, B. A. (2011). Teaching science as a cultural way of knowing: merging authentic inquiry, nature of science, and multicultural strategies. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 6(3), 525–547.

Snively, G., & Williams, W.L. (2016). Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science, Book 1 and 2.

Turner, N. (2014). Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge : Ethnobotany and Ecological Wisdom of Indigenous Peoples of Northwestern North America. McGill-Queen’s University Press.

United Nations. (2021). The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2021/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2021.pdf

Whyte, K. P., Brewer, J. P., & Johnson, J. T. (2015). Weaving Indigenous Science, Protocols and Sustainability Science. Sustainability Science, 11 (1), 25–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-015-0296-6.

Wilder, O’Meara, C., Monti, L., & Nabhan, G. P. (2016). The Importance of Indigenous Knowledge in Curbing the Loss of Language and Biodiversity. Bioscience, 66(6), 499–509. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biw026