Invite local Elders into classrooms as co-teachers of Indigenous Knowledge¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The study engaged two Kasena Elders, as holders of Indigenous knowledge, to visit the school weekly and teach children through outdoor learning activities tied to curriculum topics. Kim and Dionne's suggestion quoted in the article is that "it is essential to create a venue for true experts to share their knowledge directly with learners." The researchers met the Elders before each visit, but the Elders taught the concepts and topics their way. This made inviting Elders into classrooms easier and gave children a different view of who a teacher is.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Funds should be made available so that Elders can be provided honoraria to support teachers in teaching IKs
• Opportunities must exist to invite Elders into classrooms, which the authors note were lacking in the Ghanaian context

Constraints¶

• Teaching of some IKs is time-bound and seasonal; certain content (e.g. kenaf plants) could not be taught because the study took place in the dry season
• Navigating between the Elders' child-led pedagogy and the teacher's more structured pedagogy was a challenge

Target Learners¶

• Early childhood pupils in rural communities with living Indigenous knowledge traditions

Target Learning Goals¶

• Learning local Indigenous knowledge connected to environmental studies curriculum topics

Affordances¶

• Two Eyed Seeing Methodology

Related Strategies¶

• On-country visits where students interact with Aboriginal Elders as experiential learning

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Acharibasam, J. B., & McVittie, J. (2021). The use of a two-eyed seeing approach to include Indigenous Knowledge in Early Childhood Care and Development in Ghana. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, 20(1). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1329976