The elusive indigenous perspective through science

education student teachers’ eyes.Gregory Smith

(Charles Darwin University)Michael Michie

(Batchelor Institute)

What are pre-service teachers’ perceptions of indigenous perspectives?

Research Question

Assignment task set in a science education unit undertaken by preservice students at a regional university,

Open-ended task, exploring students’ own views of science and indigenous perspectives: no predefined concepts or expert maps,

Data collected over two years, and 149 students

Data collection

hierarchical visual knowledge representations where concepts are linked by linking words to form propositions (Novak, 1990),

‘represent meaningful relationships between concepts’ (Novak & Gowin, 1984, p.15),

More dynamic interplay of concepts: hierarchical, cyclic, networked, spider maps, spokes & chains, mind, links: labelled, unlabelled or unidirectional (Safayeni et al.,2005, Kinchin et al.,2000, Nesbit & Adesope, 2006, Cañas et al., 2012)

The Concept Map

Concept map morphology(Kinchin & Alias, 2005)

A. ChainB. SpokeC. Net/network

Additional morphology - spokes

Recognised the increasing complexity during analysis phase:a. Basic spokeb. Spoke with chainsc. Repeated spokes

Relational structure that reveals the perceptions of the creator, and so is unique, as it reflects ’his/her experiences, beliefs and biases in addition to his/her understanding of a concept’ (Kinchin & Hay, 2000, p.44; Cañas & Carvalho, 2008),

Represents student mental models or an image of aspects of their cognitive structure (Safayeni et al. et al., 2005), and

Visual construction of the students’ cognitive structures depicting conceptual understanding as emergent knowledge (Kinchin, 2011; O’Connor, 2012)

Why use concept maps?

Morphology

Results

Type of concept map Total Percent1. Chain 1 0.72a. Basic spoke 5 3.42b. Spoke with chains 22 14.82c. Repeated spokes 98 65.8

3. Network 22 14.8Other 1 0.7

  149 100.2

Majority of students presented one of six science themes to present their understanding of indigenous perspectives:1. Seasons (including weather)2. Astronomy3. Ecology4. Plants5. Animals6. Natural Resource Use

Science Themes

Weather: network

Repeated spokes

More than Bush Tucker?| 11 July 2011 | Slide 12

Repeated spokes

spokes

Seasons: Spokes with chains

The Bininj/Mungguy indigenous people of

Kakadu weather seasons

Gudjewg/ Monsoon: Dec to Mar

Thunderstorms, heavy rain and flooding. The true wet!

Heat and humidity generate an explosion of plant and animal life

Stranded animals and eggs are a good food source at this time

Banggerreng / knock em down storm season April

The rain clouds have cleared and the blue skies prevail

Flood water recedes and streams start to run clear

Because of the sun plants are fruiting

Animals are caring for their young

Yegge/ cooler but still humid season May to June

Relatively cool with low humidity

Wetlands and billabongs are covered with water lilies

Flowering woollybutt tells Bininj/Mungguy that it’s time to start burning the woodlands

This action promotes new growth for grazing animals

Wurrgeng/ cold weather season June to August

Humidity is low, day time temperatures are low. Clear skies

Water resources dry out. Animals flock to the few watering holes left

Gurrung / Hot dry weather. August to October

The sun is out with cool breeze.

Sea turtles lay their eggs while the goannas rob their nests

Gunumeleng / pre monsoon storm season October to December

The build up of cloud that creates humidity

Thunderstorms build in the afternoons. Barramundi move from their waterholes

Now Bininj people moved from camp to live under shelter. Because of the coming storms

Students who used more complex concept maps were considered to have more complex mental models (Kinchin, 2011)

Complexity

Grouping of concept maps, Relationships between topics maintained, Relationship Matrix: identifying relationships

between nodes, Word cloud (frequency), and ‘Meaning diagram’

Meta-analysis

Word Cloud: Astronomy

1. Majority of students displayed reasonably complex relationships in their perceptions of indigenous perspectives

Conclusions

2. Relate to 6 science themes

Related to Science understandings: Biological, Earth & Space Sciences but limited Physical or Chemical Sciences.

3. The science themes demonstrate a complex network of interrelationships.

OBSERVATION-PATTERNS-RELATIONSHIPS-CHANGE

Represents a holistic approach associated with Indigenous ways

of thinking.

4. Relationship to the curriculum

a. Science understandings Biological, Earth & Space Sciences but limited Physical or Chemical Sciences.

b. Context Science as a Human Endeavouri. Nature and development of science

(observation, patterns, change, relationships)

ii. Use and influence of science (application)