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How can we meaningfullyÌýintegrate Indigenous plantÌýknowledge and First Peoples'Ìývalues of land stewardship toÌýenrich the learning of plants inÌýLife Sciences 11?

Why is this important?

• A deep understanding of Traditional EcologicalÌýKnowledge connects us to the land and embodies theÌývalue of biodiversity, sustainability and landÌýstewardship​

• Perspectives like two-eyed seeing are essential toÌýsolving complex problems​

• HonoursÌýthe wisdom of plants​

• Shifts the learning of life science beyond facts in aÌýtextbook and situates learners in nature

Questions that came up:

How do weÌýactually pieceÌýtogether all our ideas and meaningfullyÌýintegrate it into a unit that was not initially designed to be taught in aÌýway that is informed by traditional knowledge, land stewardship andÌýecology / biodiversity?​

How do we take what we learned from experts in the field – Lori SnyderÌý(Metis plant knowledge keeper) and Dr. ChelseyÌýGeraldaÌýArmstrongÌý(archaeologist) – to create our lessons or activities?​

How do we use the seasons as a strength (rather than a deterrent)? TheÌýunit will be taughtÌýin the midst ofÌýwinter.

Feedback from students:

• Being outdoors to learn about the plants (through reinforcement ofÌýconcepts and content learned in class, or for the first time) wasÌýbeneficial​

• For most students, learning about plants in nature in a hands-on wayÌýresulted in greater engagement / interest, and typically helped withÌýlearning the material​

• Being outdoors was important to recognize the relevance and value ofÌýlearning about plants​

• Having an understanding ofÌýplants’ ecological role and its contributionÌýto biodiversity helped many students recognize the importance ofÌýplants, and generated more interest in plants than without suchÌýinsights​

• Students had insightful observations about how trees communicatedÌýwith one another after watching Suzanne Simard’s TED Talk aboutÌýhow trees talked to each other​

• Students readÌýBraiding SweetgrassÌý(YA adaptation) and identifiedÌýpassages that represented one of the three braids of sweetgrass –ÌýIndigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and teachings of plants

Survey Results:

1. Did learning about ecology and biodiversity, as well as going out to seeÌýplants in nature on multiple occasions, result in an increased interest inÌýplants? (This interest can be scientific, an increased sense of engagement orÌýcuriosity, a greater understanding on the significance of plants and whyÌýthey matter, etc.). Yes / No.​

93% (51/55) – YesÌýÌý |ÌýÌý 7% (4/55) – NoÌý​

2. Explain your response to question 1.Ìý​

-To be in a classroom and see pictures/diagrams is one thing but going out toÌýsee the plants in their environments in person was a great experience. It reallyÌýallows you to connectÌýyourÌýin class learning to real world examples andÌýapplications.ÌýIt’sÌýgreat we have a GCP right next to us and we shouldÌýdefinitely continueÌýto use it as a learning resource.Ìý​

-Looking at plants and now and understanding the actual structure insideÌýthem, andÌýfinding out about how they interact with other species, has raisedÌýmy interest in them.ÌýIt’sÌýneat to be able to look at a tree or flower and pick outÌý/ guess what parts they are, and how they’d functions. The knowledge helpedÌýme understand the value of plants more.​

-I amÌýnot interested in plants that much but I did find the trips to GardenÌýCity Park helpful for my learning.​

-I thought it wasÌýreally coolÌýseeing how ecology really worked and play out inÌýour real world by going outside and being with nature.​

3. Select which approach works better with your learning style, withÌýengaging your interest, and with helping your understanding.Ìý​

Exploring the plants outside first before returning to the classroomÌýfor detailed instructions with notes.Ìý33% (18/55)​

Learning in the classroom first with notes before going out toÌýexplore the plants.Ìý67% (37/55)Ìý​

4. Explain your response to question 3.Ìý​

-I feel like sitting in class all dayÌýwouldn’tÌýallow me to think straightÌýbecauseÌýit’sÌýnothingÌýreally productiveÌýother than writing notes downÌýand listening to the teacher talk. But waking outside andÌýactuallyÌýseeingÌýplants just helps u visualize your learning whichÌýis notÌýboringÌýat all.​

-I chose this because exploring them in person builds a whole otherÌýperspective.​

-I like to have a foundation before going out to see the plants. To firstÌýlearn about the plants in class with notes/diagrams allows me to get aÌýgood understanding of the plant before going out to observe it in GCP.​

-I feel like I need to understand the structure/theory of somethingÌýbefore diving into it, or else I feel like IÌýcan’tÌýretain the information.​

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5. How did learning about Two-Eyed Seeing and Indigenous ScienceÌý(the rich knowledge First Peoples have of the land, the plants, and theÌýmany interactions that exist in nature) shift your perspective about theÌýland and the plants?Ìý​

-It made me realize how much science and knowledge can exist outsideÌýour moreÌýeurocentricÌýunderstanding of science. To see the directÌýscientific and spiritual relationship between Indigenous peoples andÌýtheir land, and their incredibly sustainable outlook on their life andÌýland Ìýgoes to show how much we have to learn from them and otherÌýcultures.​

-It made me realize the flexibility of different plants and taught me toÌýnot waste parts society deems unnecessary​

-It shows that humans and plants are connected and have to coexist. I seeÌýmore values in plants and can acknowledge how humans can help themÌýgrow better.​

-I feel like the connections among the plants, the land and people isÌýactually much more bonding than what I thought.​

-That the land is life, and everything in the ecosystem has a purpose toÌýfulfill.​

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• It made me realize how much science and knowledge can existÌýoutside our moreÌýeurocentricÌýunderstanding of science. To see theÌýdirect scientific and spiritual relationship between IndigenousÌýpeoples and their land, and their incredibly sustainable outlook onÌýtheir life and land Ìýgoes to show how much weÌýhave toÌýlearn fromÌýthem and otherÌýcultures.​

• It made me realize the flexibility of different plants and taught me toÌýnot waste parts society deemsÌýunnecessary​

• It shows that humans and plants are connected andÌýhave toÌýcoexist. IÌýsee more values in plants and can acknowledge how humans canÌýhelp them growÌýbetter.​

• I feel like the connections among the plants, the land and people isÌýactually muchÌýmore bonding than what IÌýthought.​

• That the land is life, and everything in the ecosystem has a purposeÌýto fulfill.

Next Steps:

• We areÌýin the midst ofÌýplanning for next year’s plant unitÌýwhile taking student feedback into consideration.Ìý​

• Next year, we plan to do a significant portion of the lessonsÌýoutdoors rather than in the classroom taking notes aboutÌýminutiae details.Ìý​

• We will build on the ecology and biodiversity piece, sinceÌýthese values really resonated with students.​

• We will continue to emphasize the perspective of Two-EyedÌýSeeing and Indigenous Knowledge because studentsÌýappreciated these understandings. One student observedÌýthat we explore Indigenous Knowledge and WesternÌýScience as two separate entities – a more complementaryÌýapproach would be worthwhile to integrate.