Towards culturally relevant classroom science: a theoretical framework focusing on traditional plant healing

Mpofu, Vongai; Otulaja, Femi S.; Mushayikwa, Emmanuel

doi:10.1007/s11422-013-9508-5

Cited by 34 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…They indicated that science education should recognise each person's individuality, allow them to grow up according to African traditions, learn from their cultural life experiences, stay familiar with the historical development of their own culture, teach them the values, norms, morals, and traditions of their own cultures and the environment they live in, and assist them to develop a sense of responsibility for what is expected of them as accountable citizens. These responses coincide with those of le Grange (2016), Mpofu et al (2014), and Dos Santos (2009) who stated that teachers need to identify students' cultural needs, beliefs, values, norms, and traditions, and include these in curricula content to achieve effective teaching and learning. On the other hand, some presenters indicated that learners also needed exposure to European and Western science content knowledge and technology skills in order to stay abreast with global development.…”

Section: Discussion and Recommendationssupporting

confidence: 68%

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Millennial science student teachers' views on decolonisation and culturally responsive teaching

Jager

2019

Journal of Education

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Globally, the striving for decolonised education and acknowledgement of a nation's values, skills, beliefs, and acquisition of knowledge is being debated. In science education, the integration of cultural values and beliefs into the science curriculum is often ignored, which contributes to students being unable to express their individual views during interactive class discussions. This study therefore aimed to engage millennial science student teachers (n = 120) at a South African university in an action research study to express their views on decolonisation and culturally responsive teaching. The responses were categorised according to the themes of the Hernandez, Morales, and Shroyer (2013) model, which includes content integration, facilitation of knowledge construction, prejudice reduction, social justice, and academic development. The findings indicated that a cross-cultural perspective should be used (with balance between Euro-American centric sciences and indigenous knowledge from diverse cultures), that students should be instructed in their mother tongue, and that content needs to be connected to familiar everyday life experiences. The findings further amplified the importance of technology-assisted methods, the application of various integrated learning methods in science education, and inclusion in science curricula of the science role models of various cultures.

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Section: Discussion and Recommendationssupporting

confidence: 68%

“…In South Africa and Zimbabwe, IK has been integrated in science classes through discussion of topics such as HIV/AIDS for gaining perceptions of the nature of science (Mpofu et al, 2014). This strategy is applied to address problems experienced locally and globally.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Millennial science student teachers' views on decolonisation and culturally responsive teaching

Jager

2019

Journal of Education

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“…Culturally relevant pedagogy represents a theoretical framework for teaching that addresses the needs of students from diverse racial, economic, and social backgrounds (Ladson‐Billings, 1995a,b). Ladson‐Billings' framework for culturally‐relevant pedagogy includes three constructs that have been supported empirically in science classrooms: (a) the pedagogy must allow students to experience academic success (e.g., Grimberg & Gummer, ); (b) students must be able to develop and/or maintain cultural competence (e.g., Grimberg & Gummer; Mpofu, Otulaja, & Mushayikwa, ); and (c) students must be able to develop a critical consciousness through which they can challenge the status quo (e.g., Tsurusaki, Calabrese Barton, Tan, Koch, & Contento, ). Unprompted, panelists raised questions and provided feedback in ways to address these criteria.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The final practice description pushes teachers to engage students in relevant scientific phenomena that connect to their interests and prior knowledge, thus channeling Freire's () insistence on meaningful learning for under‐represented populations. This approach to using phenomena is supported by evidence that the use of transformative boundary objects (Tsurusaki et al, ) that is objects from one's personal experience that can function as pedagogical science tools—and existing cultural understanding of phenomena (Mpofu et al, ) blurs the lines of separate home and school cultures and allows for greater student engagement in science.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying a core set of science teaching practices: A delphi expert panel approach

2014

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The Framework for K-12 Science Education details ambitious goals for students' learning of science content and practices. However, this document provides science teachers little guidance about instructional practices that are central to helping students achieve these goals. Research indicates that a teacher's instructional practice can impact student interest and achievement more than advanced degrees or teaching experience and thus, identifying a core set of science teaching practices may be one key to improving science education. Based on a practice-based theory of teaching, this study used a panel of expert science teachers and university faculty to identify a set of core science teaching practices. The Delphi methodology used in this study engaged the expert panel in three anonymous and iterative rounds of voting and justification of science teaching practices. Nine of the fifty-one suggested practices met the pre-determined consensus criteria. Three major themes emerged from the results. First, a majority of practices, like "Engaging Students in Investigations" and "Facilitating Classroom Discourse," promote an interactive and dialogic science classroom. Second, the discussion among panel members across the three rounds indicates the need to develop a more common language and understanding of science teaching practice. Third, the panel highlighted the important role that on-going assessment plays in science teaching with practices like "Eliciting, Using, and Assessing Student Thinking about Science" and "Providing Feedback." This study lays the groundwork for the further decomposition of these core teaching practices and provides the foundation for further empirical research on how these practices are learned and executed by teachers, and their impact on student learning. #

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“…Further support for the synthesis of IAK and formal school science can be found in the concepts of culturally relevant pedagogy (Ladson-Billings 1995), cultural border-crossing and culturally sensitive science learning (Aikenhead and Jegede 1999), eco-justice pedagogy (Bowers 2001), culturally responsive science education (Brayboy and Castagan 2008) and, most recently, culturally aligned classroom science (Mpofu, Otulaja, and Mushayikwa 2014). The pedagogical strategies that emanate from these conceptual terms may have some distinct characteristics, but they all share commonalities, including the recognition of place and local culture (language) in learning, the importance of indigenous knowledge systems for learners as an informal learning, and the role of elders (indigenous knowledge experts) in enriching the educational experiences of both indigenous and non-indigenous learners in schools.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weaving indigenous agricultural knowledge with formal education to enhance community food security: school competition as a pedagogical space in rural Anchetty, India

Shukla

Barkman²,

Patel

2016

Pedagogy, Culture & Society

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Like many socially and economically disadvantaged farming communities around the world, the Anchetty region of Tamil Nadu, India, has been experiencing serious food security challenges mainly due to the loss of traditional foods such as small millets and associated crops (SMAC) and associated indigenous agricultural knowledge (IAK). Drawing on communitybased participatory research conducted in Anchetty's Pandurangdoddy village, this paper explores the local understanding of IAK related to SMAC through young learners (school-going students) and their mentors (local farmers and community members), using a case study of school-based competition. Follow-up interviews with participating students, mentors and teachers were organised to explore the potential of a school competition as a pedagogical strategy to promote learning of IAK in formal school settings in order to safeguard the existing and future food security of local communities. There was a general consensus among the teachers, participating students, mentors (community members) and NGOs anout the potential for a school competition to create an alternative pedagogical space where IAK and curriculum-based knowledge could be intertwined and exchanged. Pedagogical spaces that weave IAK into schools, however, bring together the different and contested perspectives of the participants to understandings of the potential values of IAK.

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Towards culturally relevant classroom science: a theoretical framework focusing on traditional plant healing

Cited by 34 publications

References 37 publications

Millennial science student teachers' views on decolonisation and culturally responsive teaching

Millennial science student teachers' views on decolonisation and culturally responsive teaching

Identifying a core set of science teaching practices: A delphi expert panel approach

Weaving indigenous agricultural knowledge with formal education to enhance community food security: school competition as a pedagogical space in rural Anchetty, India

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