Reviving the Orchard

Visions of reclaiming science education for Nicaragua

Bibliographic Data

ID21392728
AuthorsKelsie Fowler (0000-0001-8364-2751, College of Education University of Washington Seattle Washington USA, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume105
Issue2
Pages384-405
Publication date2021-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScience Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0036-8326 • E-ISSN: 1098-237X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/sce.21608
OpenAlexW3113040148
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited28

Educators involved in the improvement of science instruction need to explore how science education could better align with the needs and interests of specific communities, especially in areas of Central America where local knowledge has been expunged from schools. In this paper, I draw upon Culturally Sustaining and Revitalizing Pedagogies to explore a single community's visions for science education and how these visions may be used as pathways for restoring relevant science education practices. To do this study, a case study approach was used to collect 150 h of science lesson observations at three schools in a small Nicaraguan community and interview 18 science teachers and community members. Many of these teachers and community members provided detailed accounts of local science knowledge or methods of teaching science that had been replaced with Westernized curriculum and pedagogies to the detriment of learning and their community. Results indicate two overarching visions: (1) a vision for reviving Scholar Orchards and (2) a vision for learning science with community resources. These findings highlight the need to partner with local teachers and community members when designing, implementing, and evaluating science education because they possess sophisticated visions for making science more relevant, sustaining, and revitalizing within their community context

Context (archaeology) · Curriculum · Engineering ethics · Geography · Pedagogy · Science education · Science, technology, society and environment education · Social science education · Sociology · Vision · Engineering · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Indigenous Cultures and Socio-Education · Service-Learning and Community Engagement