Many Ways of Knowing

As institutions, science and science education alike have rarely included the perspectives and contributions of indigenous peoples pertaining to the natural world. Yet, people worldwide have benefited from the traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous communities. Western science and technology, though broadly worthwhile, have been a source of global environmental damage. Research has shown that indigenous ways of knowing can help students develop complex and multilogical understandings of the natural world. In particular, students can learn from native knowledge systems how to live in more sustainable ways. In this article, the authors describe a lesson on climate change that explored possibilities for a more multilogical science education. Ninth- and tenth-grade science students investigated collaborations between Inuit elders and Western scientists working to understand how climate change alters bird migration patterns. The lesson connects to the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013) and the nature of science. The authors conclude by discussing possibilities for integrating indigenous knowledge in science education.