Module V

Essential Question: How are climate, cultures and oceans all connected?

Explain:
It is intriguing to me how those of us that grew up on the coast often times forget that there is a very large population of people that have no concept of how the oceans are directly related to our climate patterns and how dependent our region’s culture is on the interaction of both. This is knowledge that I take for granted. Through this module, I have become aware of how this cultural and scientific knowledge is ingrained in my way of life. I often forget that not all people have this understanding. I have learned about this interconnectedness through my formal studies at the university, through my life experience while growing up here in Southeast Alaska, and lastly through my experiences as an educator in Alaska.
Through all of my experiences I have learned that the ocean dictates the success and survival of the indigenous ways of life. Whether it be the people that depend on the “red fish”, the people that provide for their families with the seal meat, the people that wait to harvest the seaweed, or the people that depend on the white fish to help them through the winter. All of these resources are used to help families have enough throughout the year, and all of these resources are dependent on the temperature, density and flow of the oceans.
The climate has a direct correlation to altering these important components of the ocean (temperature, density, flow). Any changes in climate can be directly measured through changes within the ocean. Without consistency within our regional climates we will see changes that can effect the oceans and in turn will cause changes within the dependency that the indigenous people have on the their surroundings. Whether or not these changes will adversely effect the ecosystem depends on the viewpoint of the people being affected. In the video, “A Subsistence Culture Impacted by Climate Change” by Arctic Athabascan Council, the connection between climate, ocean and culture is very clear that impacts due to changes in climate are causing the Athabaskan people to struggle and adapt to their ever-changing environment. This is just one example of the interconnectedness of the climate, oceans and different cultures around the globe and how these changes can alter the success and survival of a people.

Extend:
After watching the video, “A Subsistence Culture Impacted by Climate Change” by Arctic Athabaskan Council, I began to think about some of the changes that have been recognized and documented by my regional indigenous people: the Tlingit and Haida.. After searching online for any hint of documentation of indigenous stories or any mention of documentation about climate change, it became very obvious that no stories have been written down. Although, I have personally heard stories from Elders in Southeast about the changes they have seen: how the red fish don’t swim up the warm rivers, or how the salmonberry patches have become less dense and the berries themselves have become small. Even though I know these observations have happened and the knowledge has been shared orally, I find myself disappointed to find no documentation of these changes. I feel grateful that this documentation is becoming more prevalent, and I look forward to the Southeast culture being represented within this array of knowledge.

Evaluate:
With the use of the videos from Teachers Domain it was refreshing to have the information represented by an assortment of points-of-view. I appreciated the video on Dolly Garza and her research. It is important to recognize the connections between the climate, oceans, and culture and their impacts on particular species. Yet, the video, “Warmer Oceans Affect Food Web” by WGBH Educational Foundation, provides us with a perspective that makes us consider the effects of human impacts and how this may amplify the effects of naturally occurring changes. This ties in the idea that although we have to consider all the connections, it is imperative that we recognize why these changes are occurring. Ultimately, we must consider our choices and how immediate or long term the effects of our current decisions may be. I believe this is best summarized by the Native American Proverb, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”


Image by: Alaska in pictures

Module II: Part IV

Essential Question: How is everything connected from the perspectives of indigenous peoples and Western scientists? What are the advantages to knowing both ways?

Engage:

“How strange that Nature does not knock, and yet does not intrude!” ~ Emily Dickinson

Engage:
I believe that the ability of the indigenous Peoples and Western scientists to coexist is well-represented within this quote by Emily Dickinson. It is very important that we find the usefulness of both traditional knowledge of the indigenous and the analytical knowledge of science. While finding ways to represent these two different views of science, it is imperative that we respect and maintain an open mind about the two different methods of understanding and explaining the processes of the natural world.

Explain:
The idea of interconnectedness that is represented in the indigenous peoples lives was very well depicted in the video “The Spirit of Subsistence Living.” The video was the recognition of Alaska Native cultural ways and how these methods of survival are truly an appreciation of their surroundings and the spirits that provide them with life. The indigenous people take what they need, but are sure to give back to these resources and provide their giver with a spiritual appreciation. It is humbling to recognize that what we “Westerners” view as “survival” is looked at as a way of being - a culture - that is desired and respected by those that live it.

This same interconnectedness in Western science is shown within the video “String Theory: A Strange New World.” Through this video we see how closely the relationships between two complex units of science, such as gravity and electromagnetism, can be analyzed. Although they can be looked at separately, they are better understood by looking at them in conjunction with each other. It is important that we recognize the relationship between these two studies of science in-order to be aware of the multi-disciplined world of physics. If we study these sciences as individual units we, as scientists, will miss the bigger picture of science as a whole.

Extend:
While currently teaching middle school science I constantly struggle with the fact that I have to cover so many different units of science from all different disciplines. I do not struggle because it is difficult to teach the different units but because I feel that I fall short when trying to find some “connectedness” between the units. I do not want it to seem as though I am ending “Weather and Climate” and beginning “Forces and Motion”, but the reality is that is exactly what I do. I close that unit folder, I put the textbooks in the storage closet and I move on to new concepts. How do I create a connection between the individual disciplines of science that engages higher levels of thinking yet solidifies the traditional science idea that all sciences are connected?


Evaluate:
As I work on this blog I realize that I need to incorporate more indigenous methods of knowing into my science curriculum, and that this transition can be used to truly push my students to recognize some of their own cultural ways of knowing. I think this is the first step towards exposing my students to alternative methods of knowing and learning.