Ininiwi-Kiskānītamowin: A Framework for Long-Term Science Education

Abstract

Abstract This article first describes an integration of the theoretical models currently found in the literature that discusses the implementation of science programs in Indigenous contexts. The article then reports on the findings from a two-day conference discussing best practice for incorporating Indigenous knowledge in science education, which involved 50 science teachers, consultants, and administrators from urban, rural, and First Nations communities in Manitoba. Participants read “Ininiwi-Kiskānītamowin,” a proposed framework for a lifelong strategy on science and math education; presented information about their individual science programs; and participated in an action research project that identified the components that were common across all programs. The four common components were Elders, language, culture, and experiential learning, which we then incorporated more explicitly into the Ininiwi-kiskānītamowin framework. The investigation also implicated a modification of the Ininiwi-kiskānītamo...