Discusses benefits of incorporating cross-cultural perspectives into environmental science and natural resources training: more productive interactions between tribal governments and environmental scientists, policymakers, and managers; cross-cultural examination of value systems; protection of indigenous knowledge; and increased participation of…

A 10-day summer science camp for high school students at an ecological research station in the Canadian tundra combines outdoor education and science education. Experiences with Dene elders led staff to implement their traditional teaching methods using the landscape as teacher. All classes are held outside, and a Dene couple complements the staff…

Despite political rhetoric to the contrary, higher education (HE) in Papua New Guinea remains heavily Westernized, resulting in an alienation of HE, and its students, from the development needs of the country. Taking the discipline of psychology as an example, indigenization is not a complete solution to this alienation, since many of the issues…

In written texts the culture of colonised subjects is often depicted as immutable and homogeneous. This is evident in the context of New Zealand where representations of Maori frequently serve to reinforce these depictions. This article investigates the potential of critical literacy approaches to challenge student teachers' commonly held beliefs…

The Medicinal Plants of the Southwest summer workshop is an inquiry-based learning approach to increase interest and skills in biomedical research. Working in teams, Hispanic and Native American students discover the chemical and biological basis for the medicinal activity of regional plants used by healers. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

This synopsis of the gathering of healers and health providers presents a guide for discussion of rural Alaskan training issues. An introduction calls on Alaska's indigenous peoples to draw on their traditions and cultural values to create models for a healthy existence. The Health Education and Training Center (HETC) and its goals for improvement…

This book offers a new culture-based framework that provides a way to research and develop curricula based on respect for diverse cultures. The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) culture is used as an example to examine the reasons for prevailing stereotypes about American Indians and to explain how those stereotypes became the standard curriculum taught in…

Place-based education roots learning in real issues and needs and helps students become both academic achievers and good citizens. This article profiles programs in five states that are fostering academic achievement. The Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI) links Alaska Native culture and indigenous knowledge with the formal educational…

Canada's federal and provincial governments have called upon the forest industry to ensure protection of Aboriginal rights and include Aboriginal communities in forest management. The challenge is to design frameworks for multi-party cooperation in which multiple values and interests can be accommodated. To promote such cooperation, two research…

The Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI) implements initiatives to document the indigenous knowledge systems of Alaska Natives and develop pedagogical practices and school curricula that appropriately incorporate indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing into the formal education system. These initiatives foster interconnectivity between two…

In Nunavut, where most residents are Inuit, Inuit elders are helping develop a new mathematics curriculum based on Inuit philosophy. Students will be involved in cultural, experiential activities during on-the-land trips. Such trips involve other community members, and the resulting interactions and informal teaching by individuals other than…

The Canadian federal government mandates that First Nations bands adopt provincial curricula as a requirement for assuming control of their education. This mandate perpetuates Eurocentric cognitive imperialism in Aboriginal schools and the marginalization of indigenous languages and culture. Indigenous languages, culture, and knowledge are…

The Lower Kuskokwim School District in southwest Alaska developed Yup'ik language materials to support the curriculum and, trained school staff in bilingual practices. The district school in Quinhagak adopted Yup'ik as the primary language of instruction through fifth grade, taught by Yup'ik-speaking teachers. The tribal council offered support in…

Surveys and interviews with 42 science teachers of Aboriginal students in northern Saskatchewan examined teacher attitudes toward Western science and Aboriginal knowledge and their practices that integrated the two cultures. Barriers to accommodating both Western and Aboriginal science cultures in the classroom were found to be conceptual,…

A week-long camp for rural Alaska Native seventh- and eighth-grade students uses science teachers, Native elders, and Native college students to conduct project-based classes that link Western science and math with traditional Native applications of practical skills. Pre- and post-interviews with students indicate a positive impact on classroom…