Tag Archives: science

M3, Entry 5: Indigenous Knowledge informing conservation efforts

Module 3: Decolonization and Indigenous Property Rights

Entry 5: Indigenous Knowledge informing conservation

As part of my research, I am looking for specific examples of how Indigenous ways of being, doing, and knowing, can be woven into math, science, and technology.

I first came across this story through a website I use in my class for current events called Newsela. This article discusses how Indigenous knowledge and storytelling help to inform scientists researching Kermode (spirit) bear populations in British Columbia. The study found that science-informed researchers had overestimated the population of bears in the region and the real number was much closer to that which was taught through the traditional stories. This particular article is written for middle school students and is a good way to show how Indigenous knowledge can work with science.

I found the peer reviewed article related to this study as well. The authors also referenced another study that combined Indigenous knowledge and genetic research to inform conservation efforts related to caribou populations. 

 

Bookshire, B. (2021, June 28). Science and Indigenous history team up to help spirit bears. Newsela. https://newsela.com/read/indigenous-people-kermode-bear/id/2001020259/ 

Service, C., Bourbonnais, M., Adams, M., Henson, L. Neasloss, D., Picard, C., Paquet, P., & Darimont, C. (2020). Spatial patterns and rarity of the white-phased ‘Spirit bear’ allele reveal gaps in habitat protection.Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 1(2).  https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12014 

Show Me Your Math: Connect Math to Our Lives and Communities

Module 2, Post 5

“Show Me Your Math: Connect Math to Our Lives and Communities” compiles the work that is a joint endeavor between St. Francis Xavier University’s Faculty of Education and Mathematics Department and local Mi’kmaw and African Nova Scotian communities. The program invites Aboriginal Students in Atlantic Canada to explore the mathematics that is evident in their own community and cultural practices. Through exploring aspects of counting, measuring, locating, designing, playing, and explaining, students discover that mathematics is all around them and is connected to many of the cultural practices in their own communities. Each year students gather for the annual math fair and celebrate the work they have done.

While this website contains samples of student SMYM projects, it also includes resources for doing culturally-based inquiry projects, research relating to decolonizing mathematics education for Indigenous students, and information about a related Math Outreach program. All of this work is dedicated to transforming the experiences of Indigenous children and youth in learning mathematics and to increase both student achievement and student affinity for mathematics.

One page on the website, Connecting Math to our Lives and Communities (CMTOL) is filled with curricular ideas that connect science to our land and current issues such as Invasive Species, Environmental Racism in Nova Scotia, The Mathematics of Food Security, Water Security, Climate Change, Soil Degradation, Soil and Social Justice, Star Stories, and Structures and Engineering, to name a few.

Another webpage includes project-based and inquiry learning through the learning activities that are linked to the land or cultural traditions. The website also includes a few years of archived student projects, such as this one:  MathFishing.

I also found “Fostering Mawikinutimatimk in Research and Classroom Practice” (Lunney & Wagner, 2006) that discusses the challenges of mawikinutimatimk – learning together- as related to a mathematics classroom. The report profiles that North American aboriginals have the lowest participation of any cultural group when it comes to mathematics and highlights the importance of educators recognizing the long-term impacts that colonization has had on this segment and seeking solutions that foster higher inclusivity.

References

Lunney Borden, L. (2011, November 14). MathFishing.m4v [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9Fd2OkXCdQ

Lunney, L. A. & Wagner, D. R. (2006). Fostering mawikinutimatimk in research and classroom practice. In Alatorre et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of the Twenty Eighth Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. (pp. 505 – 507). Universidad Pedagógica Nacional. http://www.pmena.org/pmenaproceedings/PMENA%2028%202006%20Proceedings.pdf

Show Me Your Math. (n.d.). CMTOLC Outreach Connecting Math to Our Lives and Communities. http://showmeyourmath.ca/outreach/

 

M1 P4: Preserving Old Growth Forests

One of the units I teach in Science is about climate change and one of the topics I discuss is Old Growth Forests as it is a topic that is relatively unknown to my students. They have heard of planting trees after cutting down trees but what they may not have known was that these “second-growth” trees are not the same type as the ones that were cut down. The old growth forests are not economical for the forest industry as they take too long to grow so they instead grow trees that grow quickly so that they can cut them down and start the process again for manufacturing their products. This greatly affects the carbon sinks as the old growth forests absorb significantly higher amounts of carbon than the trees being used to replace them. I also talk about the Indigenous perspective regarding the logging of old growth forests and how it is affecting their culture and way of living.

Clayoquot Sound is an example of Indigenous-led conservation strategies being used to help preserve old growth forests and why the work that is being done there is significant.

https://www.natureunited.ca/what-we-do/our-priorities/investing-in-people/clayoquot-sound/

Below is a PDF with a few lessons relating to old growth forests:

https://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/exhibits/living-landscapes/cbasin/oldgrowthforest/chapter2-looking.pdf

M1 P1: Science First Peoples

This resource ties together BC Science Curriculum content with Indigenous content. It provides the Indigenous perspective on topics such as evolution, energy systems, and climate change. By giving additional perspectives, students are able to get a deeper understanding of the topics. In this case, with energy systems and climate change, students are able to see how different cultures viewed where they got their energy from and also how they are affected by climate change differently. In addition to information, it also provides various activities for students to work through to build their understanding.

http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/PUBLICATION-61496-Science-First-Peoples-2016-Full-F-WEB.pdf

M1, Entry 4:Indigenous Knowledge in Science

Photo by Emily Hopper from Pexels

Module 1: The Global and the Local in Indigenous Knowledge

Entry 4: Indigenous Knowledge in Science

Many readings in Module 1 talk about science being viewed as culturally neutral from a western perspective, but argue that science does, in fact, present a biased view when viewed through the lens of Indigenous cultures. I found two articles about scientists who are using Indigenous knowledge in their scientific research. These articles are not from peer-reviewed journals, but provided me with a starting point for additional research.

CBC Radio: Earth Day Indigenous Scientists, Academics, and Community Members Take the Lead in Environmental Causes

Narwhal Article: Meet Scientists Embracing Traditional Indigenous Knowledge

References

CBC Radio. (2018, April 22). ‘Every plant and animal is useful to us’: Indigenous profession re-thinking how we deal with invasive species. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/earth-day-indigenous-scientists-academics-and-community-members-take-the-lead-in-environmental-causes-1.4605336/every-plant-and-animal-is-useful-to-us-indigenous-professor-re-thinking-how-we-deal-with-invasive-species-1.4605344

Thompson, J. (2019, June 20). Meet the scientists embracing traditional Indigenous knowledge. The Narwhal. https://thenarwhal.ca/meet-scientists-embracing-traditional-indigenous-knowledge/