(Counter)Mapping in Science Education: Bridging Physical and Cultural Geographies Through Youth Ethnography

• In Event: Personal / Emotional Relevance in Student Science Learning

Abstract

Historically marginalized youth possess knowledge and experiences highly relevant to STEM, yet not always valued within curriculum. Addressing this requires moving beyond ‘equity as inclusion,’ instead disrupting the conditions that create exclusion. This study focuses on a middle school science classroom in Hawaii where youth engaged in a curriculum promoting ‘rightful presence’ by bringing together westernized geoscientific and Indigenous Hawaiian knowledge within the study of volcanoes. Students conducted ethnographies documenting local knowledge and lived experiences in a volcanic region, and created maps reflecting their geographic and cultural worlds. Counter-mapping allowed students to surface cultural knowledge and relational worldviews in connection to the land. This approach fosters students’ rightful presence within the science classroom, expanding the legitimate body of scientific knowledge.

Author

• Victoria Henry, Teachers College, Columbia University