Indigenous and Western Science in the Primary Classroom

Western and Indigenous Ways of Knowing

My view of science tends to be a typical Western one, where previous scientific knowledge is used to build new scientific knowledge. In addition to the component of observation, research is used to determine a theoretical background before new scientific knowledge is built upon this basis.

When considering the Indigenous perspective, one interesting thing to take into account is that this perspective does not necessarily need to clash with the Western one. Instead, the two approaches can complement each other, as pointed out by the Queensland Studies Authority (2012). According to this publication, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples tend to derive knowledge about their world by primarily engaging with it. In other words, the main thing that contrasts this type of knowledge with the Western one is a tendency to use the physical senses to experience and observe the world, building knowledge upon this direct experience rather than upon existing theoretical knowledge and research.

The implication of this for my classroom practice is that I can use both approaches to highlight the strengths of each and show how they can enhance the other. In a study on shadow and light, for example, I can build a theoretical basis by asking students to research what is already known about the topic. During the practice session, I can then devise activities that engage all their senses, helping them to experience first-hand what theorists have discovered before them.

In this way, I can help my students develop a sense of enjoyment in the scientific process — both theoretical research and practical experience. In the classroom, I will therefore demonstrate the invaluable contribution of both approaches to new scientific knowledge and to the enjoyment students can derive from their experience of the world.

Common Misconceptions About Light and Shadow

Science can involve many misconceptions, mainly as a result of an incorrect interpretation of a child's experience of the world. Misconceptions can also be culturally specific, or simply the result of a child's own experience and socialization. Two specific misconceptions I addressed in my teaching were appropriate for the age group of students I work with. Not being experienced in existing theory, for example, many students believe that light travels faster at night than during the day, and that shadows follow people around and are created by the sun's reflection. My lesson is structured in such a way as to create both a theoretical basis and a practical experience through which students can test these misconceptions and either dispel or confirm them.

It is also worthwhile to investigate misconceptions about shadow and light within different cultures. Algerian students, for example, find it difficult to cultivate an accurate understanding of the way in which light functions in optics — specifically, there may be misconceptions about the role of light in creating the conditions for seeing colored objects (Bizak, Chafiqi, and Kendil, 2009). This is also a concept about which my students might have some misconceptions, and I can therefore follow up my lesson about shadows and light with one about how light enables human beings to perceive color.

Misconceptions in science are common, especially among children, who are continuously learning about the world around them and the way things work. In a multicultural classroom, using different ways of knowing in an integrated way can help to enhance students' learning experiences and enable them to acquire more accurate information more efficiently.