Cultural Relevance in Chemistry Education: Snow Chemistry and the Iñupiaq Community

Abstract

U.S. education generally portrays science from the Western perspective. As a result, students from different cultures, also referred to as nonmajority students, often struggle to relate material learned in class to their own cultures and lived experiences. Cultural relevance is gaining momentum in broader education reform movements to relate content in the classroom to students' cultures and worldviews. Even with this momentum, examples of implementing culturally relevant instruction remain sparse in science education, and in chemistry education in particular. This article outlines a collaboration between Iḷ isagvik College, a tribal college in Utqiagvik, Alaska, and the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to learn more about how culture and context influence the design and implementation of culturally relevant curricular materials for introductory chemistry. Throughout the ongoing process, students work with community members, Elders, and scientists to develop an environmental chemistry research project focused on integrating local, cultural, and scientific resources to explore Arctic snow processes. Participating students engaged in a three-part unit, including information gathering from cultural and scientific resources to develop research questions, collecting and analyzing samples from the local area using analytical methods, and interpreting the data and communicating results to the greater community. Here we outline the design considerations used to construct and implement a culturally relevant chemistry unit. We describe activities where students cultivated relationships with the community and identified resources to inform their research design and classroom interactions. We also detail how culturally relevant education relates to the unit and identify areas where we are still growing as we engage in the design process. Finally, this project demonstrates how a student-driven environmental chemistry project can connect introductory science students to their community while engaging in authentic research practices.

A Guided-Inquiry Activity for Introducing Students to Figures from Primary Scientific Literature

“…This guided-inquiry activity was initially designed as a part of a snow chemistry unit with the goals of (1) supporting student understanding of snow chemistry processes described in the primary literature , and (2) engaging students in the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices, including using models (e.g., graphs) and interpreting data. Model-specific learning objectives are described in Table .…”

“…The guided-inquiry activity described herein, specifically the use of figures adapted from primary literature as models, can be adapted for any introductory or higher-level science course that utilizes primary literature with the goal of gaining skills in understanding and interpreting results presented in this knowledge source. In addition to the implementation in the University of Michigan general chemistry laboratory classroom, 23 an abbreviated version of this activity was incorporated as part of an Arctic snow chemistry research unit that merges local, cultural, and scientific resources in the introductory science classroom at Iḷ isagvik College, a tribal college in Utqiagvik, AK, 37 highlighting that it can be adapted to other class settings.…”

Storytelling as Pedagogy: The Power of Chemistry Stories as a Tool for Classroom Engagement

“…8 Investigators have also developed CRP chemistry units targeting students enrolled at a tribal college in Utqiagvik, Alaska focused on the cultural relevance of the Arctic region and the impact on the Indigenous communities in northern Alaska. 9 The CRP lesson focused on changes in snow and ice chemistry due to the impact of global warming. These CRP chemistry examples and our current study align with the pillars of CRP, specifically by enhancing the critical consciousness of undergraduate students.…”

Who’s That Scientist? A Scientist Report Writing Assignment for General Chemistry Students

“…In addition, the Scientist Report strives to make the chemistry content more relevant to students’ everyday lives by allowing them to see the human behind the science. Spencer et al mention that all too often “chemistry focuses on scientific methods rather than a connection to community and personal relevance” (ref , p 363).…”