Two-eyed seeing methodology¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

A methodology developed in the Canadian context, formalized by Albert and Murdena Marshall, in which Indigenous and Western knowledges co-exist in an educational setting. Metaphorically, "children learn to see from one eye with the strengths of IKs and from the other with the strengths of DW-Ks," using both together for the benefit of all. It values differences rather than melding perspectives, recognizes IKs as valid ways of teaching and learning equal to Euro-American counterparts, and explicitly addresses the power relationship between the two knowledge systems. In this study it served as a framework guiding integration of Kasena IK into KG2 environmental studies topics.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Teachers must be supported in their training and in the communities they go to for accessing local Elders
• There must be equal respect for both knowledges, an acknowledgment that Indigenous and Western science need one another

Constraints¶

• May be difficult to adopt in communities with more than two ways of seeing, such as those with Indigenous, Islamic-Arabic and DW-Christian educational systems
• National education policy influenced by human capital theory currently favours DW-Ks over IKs in Ghana

Target Learners¶

• Kindergarten 2 pupils (ages 6-8) in rural Ghanaian early childhood care and development

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Environmental studies topics such as living and non-living things, water, plants, gardening, weather, and local community
• Appreciation of Indigenous and Western worldviews as equally important ways of understanding nature

Claims¶

Related Theories¶

Examples¶

• Invite local Elders into classrooms as co-teachers of Indigenous Knowledge
• Base inclusive-strategy training on indigenous pedagogies and enable use of advanced evidence-based techniques

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