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Scientific Language & Indigenizing the Classroom

Scientific and Mathematical Language

I will be honest, I do not like scientific and mathematical language. My philosophy has always been a focus on communication. If one is able to communicate ideas effectively, the words and terminology they use are less of a concern to me. I think that the purpose of scientific language is to aide in that communication, and if it is not beneficial to the communication of the idea, it is not serving its purpose. 

Indigenizing the Classroom

Reading this article only solidified my feelings towards indigenous teaching. Through the organization I work for, UBC Geering Up, we work with indigenous communities to combine STEM and indigenous ways of thinking and educating. We focus on how to incorporate STEM lessons within their own framework, rather than have them change their way of learning, thinking, and knowing. This is the approach I want to take to indigenize my classroom. I do not think "indigenizing" my classroom involves me telling their lived experiences. I think it involves me learning and reading the way indigenous peoples learn, teach, and live, and incorporate their holistic approach into my lesson plans. I think this was beautifully demonstrated in the article when Robin Wall Kimmerer brought her own home's perspective on animate language into her botany lesson. The result was a fruitful discussion amongst her students, in which, even if they didn't fully agree in the end, the conversations broadened their mindsets and perspectives on the world. 


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  1. Susan GerofskySeptember 23, 2020 at 9:40 PM

    Interesting and thoughtful commentary, Sarah! Your work with Geering Up sounds so integrative and important. I think your goals of communication and discussion are good ones -- an excellent way to start Indigenizing your classroom.

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