Interrogating the Work of Environmental Science in Relation to Culture and Knowledge

• In Event: Critical Collaborative Inquiry as Repair and Renewal: Teachers and Teacher Educators Co-Constructing Justice-Centered Education

Abstract

foundation to teach my students how to build their epistemic stances, develop a deep connection to the natural world, and co-create knowledge with one another to uncover the hidden stories and knowledge that are all around us. The question that guided me to develop a new way of thinking about teaching environmental science was: How and in what ways can my students interrogate the work of environmental science in relation to culture and knowledge? The literature that inspired this work started with Robin Wall Kimmer's (2013) Braiding Sweetgrass, in which she describes her experience of finding her Indigenous voice as an educator and scientist within the Western scientific world. She goes on to share how she had to reframe how she taught science by honoring the hidden knowledge her students yearned to explore. This gave me a foundation for understanding the complexities of questioning traditional notions of what it means to teach science. Drawing on the four conceptions of presence that Carol Rodger and Miriam Roth-Raider (2006) illuminate helped me develop my presence as a teacher in order to do this kind of work. The data I gathered could tell a story about the evolution of my students' thinking, their interactions with the curriculum, their ability to question dominant narratives, and ultimately understand the impact of teaching my students how to bring hidden voices to the forefront to create a deeper connection to the environmental science topics we explored. I asked myself if I had cultivated a sense of curiosity and taught my students to think critically about their positionality, culture, and connection to their environment. Some of the key findings were centered on the importance of setting up the curriculum with a substantial amount of historical, social, and cultural context because it increased productive dialogue and expanded their ability to generate powerful questions about bringing forth Indigenous voices. Ultimately, my students could see the importance of going beyond the classroom to build connections to local community leaders and initiatives that expanded their thinking of what it meant to study environmental science and our impact when we questioned the dominant culture. Immersing in this research involved ongoing self-reflection about my biases, teaching methods, and how culture and knowledge influence one's pedagogy.

Author

• Maribel Albaran, Marin Academy