Environmental Science Education (ESE) has the potential to inspire leadership for sustainable societies through helping learners develop pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. However, to achieve this goal, ESE must engage and empower students, instill a sense of respect for the natural world, spark the development of an environmental ethic, build problem-solving skills, and inspire action. Across Canada, school systems typically use a westernized version of ESE in their science curricula. In this study, the author argues that Western ESE can be harmful to indigenous populations. He asserts that ESE grounded in Western ideals, Western cultural norms, and a history of colonization can disrespect and discount the cultures and traditional practices of indigenous populations. Additionally, environmental management and land-use practices that stem from Western ESE can threaten indigenous lands and people. Given the potential problematic effects of Western ESE, the author makes a case for integrating land-based ESE into science curricula. Land-based ESE incorporates local and indigenous knowledge and practices, cultural and spiritual beliefs, and human-land relationships into environmental science education. It highlights the value of land as a resource and inspires a sense of responsibility to the land and to local communities. Land-based ESE promotes respect for the land and for the cultures, traditions, and histories intertwined with the land. In this study, the author explores Dene First Nation community members' perceptions of Western ESE versus land-based ESE to determine which approach was preferred by a local indigenous community.
The author used an autoethnographic approach—which involves using personal experiences and reflections to draw wider conclusions—to better understand how Dene First Nation community members view the state of ESE in their schools in Saskatchewan, Canada. The author hails from an indigenous community in Bangladesh with deep ties to the land; therefore, he felt uniquely positioned to conduct this autoethnography with empathy and respect for the Dene people. In the spring of 2014, the author participated in a cultural camp in the Dene community. During this time, he engaged in land-centric story sharing sessions with community members. He spoke to and cultivated relationships with elders, teachers, knowledge holders, and students. He asked them questions about their interactions with and perceptions of ESE. He shared his own stories about his relationship with the land and listened to their stories. He kept a journal where he recorded his observations and reflected on his experiences and conversations. He analyzed the data by identifying patterns and themes in his journal entries.
From his conversations, observations, experiences, and reflections, the author discerned that Dene community members value land-based ESE because it taught students about the interconnectedness of environment, community, and spirituality. They also appreciated the land-based approach's emphasis on spending time in nature and learning about traditional land practices. Dene community members valued the ways in which the land-based approach instilled a sense of responsibility and respect toward the land.
The author also found that the Dene community was largely disappointed by the state of ESE in their community schools because it was skewed toward Western ideals. The Dene community reported that they disliked the classroom-based ESE curricula; reasons included that it failed to engage students, hindered outdoor exploration, discounted Dene culture and traditions, and used a flawed evaluation system that discouraged students from learning science. The community members also reported their dissatisfaction with the lack of funding for science education and the consequent low numbers of science teachers in the schools.
The autoethnographic approach used in this study generated rich and valuable data, however it was not without limitations. The data collected for this study was filtered through the author's understanding of the world. His reflections accounted for a significant portion of the data. Additionally, the study took place in a very specific context—a Dene First Nation school community—and other indigenous communities in different locations may feel differently about ESE.
The author recommends implementing land-based ESE in indigenous schools. He asserted that integrating cultural learning with science learning can help bridge understandings of culture and environment, build respect for both, and celebrate the traditions and ways of life that are important to the Dene community. In doing so, land-based ESE promotes sustainability. Land-based ESE has the potential to promote creative problem solving while celebrating the value and importance of indigenous knowledge. The author also recommends extending land-based ESE beyond indigenous schools and integrating it into environmental science curricula on a much broader scale.
The Bottom Line
Land-based environmental science education (ESE) integrates local and indigenous knowledge and practices, cultural and spiritual beliefs, and human-land relationships into environmental science education. The author of this study explored whether land-based ESE could be more effective when teaching indigenous students about environmental science and promoting sustainability in the Dene First Nation community in Saskatchewan, Canada. The author used an autoethnographic approach, which involved deep engagement in the community and reflecting on personal experiences to draw broader conclusions. The author found that community elders, knowledge holders, students, and teachers valued the land-based approach over the Western approach. The Dene community felt that land-based ESE respected indigenous culture, traditions, and ways of life, more effectively engaged students in environmental science learning, and encouraged outdoor exploration and learning about traditional land practices. The author recommends supporting schools to integrate land-based ESE approaches into their environmental science curricula.