Are human beings a part of nature, or are they separate? When Simon Fraser University (SFU) education professor and UNESCO Chair in Bio-cultural Diversity and Education David Zandvliet asks this question, most people respond that humans are separate from nature. Even though humans depend on nature for their very existence, most consider the natural world to be apart from them.
It is this disconnect from nature, says Zandvliet, that needs to be addressed in order for people to understand and confront ecological challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss and food insecurity. His recent paper, A Two-Eyed Seeing Teaching and Learning Framework for Science Education, with Connie Cirkony and John Kenny from the University of Tasmania, explores how the dominant Western science reproduces this disconnect. Alternatively, around the world, Indigenous science and knowledge has evolved as intricate relationships with lands and resources, over thousands of years.
He practices and advocates for a Two-Eyed Seeing Approach in his research and teaching, a concept developed by Mi’kmaq Elder Albert Marshall at the University of Cape Bretton, which seeks to integrate the strengths of Indigenous ways of knowing with the strengths of Western science. Zandvliet’s Two-Eyed Seeing for Science Education (TESSE) Framework, combines the five “E’s” of teaching and learning (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate) with the 8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning developed by Tyson Yunkaporta, for the benefit of all students.
As UNESCO Chair and the founding director of the Institute for Environmental Learning, Zandvliet’s career interests lie in the areas of science and environmental education with a special focus on the study of learning environments. He leads environmental education programming at SFU and has directed field schools in diverse locations like Haida Gwaii, Hawaii, Indonesia and Australia. He recently led a field school to Arusha, Tanzania, where students explored climate change and community resilience within a rural setting.
We spoke with professor Zandvliet about his teaching and research.
How does the dominant Western science reinforce a disconnect with nature?
I think at the heart of the problem is that many scholars tend to view the world with a disciplinary lens. When considering any phenomena in nature whether it is climate change, biodiversity loss, or societal issues—an economist views it one way, a scientist another way, an artist looks at it differently. You have to view the world through many lenses to capture the full picture. Philosopher David Orr describes it well in his essay The Problem of Disciplines/The Discipline of Problems. Global challenges like climate change need all the knowledge we have—we also need to change behaviours and attitudes towards nature in addition to understanding the science.
What is the concept of Two-Eyed Seeing, and how does it inform education?
Two-Eyed Seeing is about acknowledging that other forms of cultural knowledge have value. For example, in Haida Gwaii where I teach a field school, there are many stories that are actually not really “stories,” but rather, ancient knowledge. One such account talks about a settlement in Hecate Strait. By treating this ancient account as fact we were actually able to find archaeological evidence of the settlement. Many Indigenous cultures around the world use the oral tradition to pass on knowledge, and there are many examples of how ancient knowledge has been dismissed by Western science as legends or myths. Two-Eyed Seeing acknowledges the value of using local knowledge along with Western science to have a true depth of knowledge.
Many educators at all levels are unsure of how to incorporate Indigenous ways of teaching and learning into their curriculum. How should educators approach the decolonization of education?
The concept of connectedness with nature, a respect for nature and for Indigenous knowledges is important. I encourage educators to develop appropriate content knowledge and pedagogical practices relevant to their local contexts and communities, and understand and support their students to engage in and through multiple ways of knowing.
I am currently leading an exciting project, Infusing Climate Education into the B.C. Curriculum, with the B.C. Ministry of Education and the Pacific Institute for Climate solutions. We are updating the climate curriculum for B.C. schools from kindergarten to grade 12 and working on a framework to guide teachers in designing activities in all areas of the curriculum. The framework will consider multiple perspectives, including the Two-Eyed Seeing approach. The tagline is “it’s not just science anymore” when learning about the environment.
What are the key elements of the Two-Eyed Seeing for Science Education (TESSE) Framework?
To put it simply, Two-Eyed Seeing is about not prioritizing one knowledge over the other, but simultaneously respecting both realities with no hierarchy. The TESSE Framework aims to act as an interface between contemporary and Indigenous pedagogies to support a culturally responsive approach to teaching and learning science by combining the strengths of both. It emphasizes interactive learning approaches such as discussion and experiential learning; acknowledging the role of community Elders and Knowledge Keepers; the use of storytelling; incorporating knowledge that is relevant, meaningful to the student, and connected to local environments; benefits people and place; and more.
At SFU’s Climate Change and Community Resilience field school in Tanzania, and most recently in Haida Gwaii, students experienced a wide range of perspectives. How do you incorporate the Two-Eyed Seeing approach in the field school? How do students benefit?
At all of the field schools I have done, I have co-taught with a local colleague. In Tanzania I worked with Emmanuel Sulle, the Director of the Arusha Climate and Environmental Research Centre. He was born and raised in Arusha and is a member of the indigenous community. It is essential to model Two-Eyed Seeing during a field school, and in this way we can learn from each other and have an intercultural dialogue. The most important thing students learn from field schools, besides learning about the environment and about a different place, is learning intercultural sensitivity and the idea that there are multiple realities.
To learn more about Professor Zandvliet’s work in environmental education, and the Two-Eyed Seeing approach, visit his faculty web page.
For more on the field school in Tanzania, see the SFU News story Environmental research centre, field school in Africa advance SFU’s global partnerships.
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