Integrating Indigenous and Western Education in Science Curricula

“Eun-ji Amy Kim eloquently braids story and scholarly inquiry into a richly layered and engaging must-read for science educators and beyond. Through a decolonizing and discursive analysis of K-12 science curricula, policies, and pedagogical attempts at infusing Indigenous knowledge, she poses a Dancing Amoeba Model for engaging Indigenous knowledge and science – learned from the wisdom of Indigenous Elders and scholars – as an innovative ethical relational science curriculum.” — Marie Battiste, Professor Emerita, University of Saskatchewan, Canada This book explores diverse relationships at play in integrating Indigenous knowledges and Western Science in curricula. The readers will unravel ways in which history, policy, and relationships with local Indigenous communities play a role in developing and implementing ‘cross-cultural’ science curricula in schools. Incorporating stories from multiple individuals involved in curriculum development and implementation – university professors, a ministry consultant, a First Nations and Métis Education coordinator, and most importantly, classroom teachers – this book offers suggestions for education stakeholders at different levels. Focusing on the importance of understanding ‘relationships at play’, this book also shows the author’s journey in re/search, wherein she grapples with both Indigenous and Western research frameworks. Featuring a candid account of this journey from research preparation to writing, this book also offers insights on the relationships at play in doing re/search that respects Indigenous ways of coming to know. Dr Eun-Ji Amy Kim (she/her) is Lecturer in Social Diversity and Indigenous Education in the School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia. She is a former high school teacher and an education consultant for diverseIndigenous communities across Canada.