From Native Skywatchers to ASTR 101 … New Designs for Interdisciplinary, Multidisciplinary, and Transdisciplinary Engaged Learning Now
Abstract
"Learn to see from one eye with the best in Indigenous knowledges, and from the other eye with the best in Western knowledge…and learn to use both these eyes together for the benefit of all… the gift of multiple perspectives." - Elder Albert Marshall from the Mi'kmaq Nation
Designed by Lee, the Native Skywatchers initiative seeks to remember and revitalize indigenous star and earth knowledge, promoting the native voice as the lead voice. The overarching goal of Native Skywatchers is to communicate the knowledge that indigenous people traditionally practiced a sustainable way of living and sustainable engineering through a living and participatory relationship with the above and below, sky and earth. We aim to improve current inequities in education for native young people, to inspire increased cultural pride, and promote community wellness. We hope to inspire all people to have a rekindling or deepening sense of awe and personal relationship to the cosmos. Presented here will be strategies and best practices for effective and inclusive widening participation in science through astronomy. Of particular emphasis will be the connection between indigenous worldviews, narrative, and the visual language, and how this informs the teaching and strategies in large lecture introductory astronomy college courses. Currently Annette is an Associate Professor of Astronomy & Physics at St. Cloud State University (SCSU), Director of the SCSU Planetarium, and Honorary/Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) in the Centre for Astrophysics, Distinguished Lecturer-Archaeological Institute of America (IAI)-Webster Lectureship, and an American Astronomical Society (AAS) Shapley Lecturer. Annette is mixed-race Lakota and her communities are Ojibwe and D/Lakota.- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #234
- Pub Date:
- June 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AAS...23440001L