Engaging Eco-Hermeneutical Methods: Integrating Indigenous and environmental curricula through an eco-justice-arts-informed pedagogy

Abstract

In this article we highlight the intersection of oral and literary traditions by conceptualizing landscape as archive through an integration of Indigenous knowledges into environmental education curriculum and teaching. We report on a study that focused on the experiences of pre-service teachers who engaged in ecological teachings in an established alternative settings placement as part of a pre-service teacher education program in rural Ontario, Canada. To inform our program we used the insights gained through a three-year qualitative methodological study using questionnaires and focus groups as part of an ongoing research project that started in 2012. The 44 male and 125 female participants ranged in age from 22 to 35 years. Our findings revealed that engaging in ecological teachings that have been passed along through generations of Indigenous storytellers can and should be an essential aspect of curricular development of North American systems of education.