The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada was created to address and repair the harm caused by residential schools to their victims, survivors and descendants. Residential schools aimed at separating and assimilating Indigenous children in government or religious institutions, causing and perpetrating generational trauma for over 150 years. As science education has played a significant role in reinforcing colonial narratives and perpetuating systemic oppression, it is crucial to incorporate truth and reconciliation into science teaching strategies to promote decolonization and indigenization. Activities introduced in introductory laboratory courses encourage students to critically examine the relationship between science and Indigenous knowledge and learn how to incorporate Indigenous perspectives and knowledge systems into their work as scientists. The different strategies include 1) exploring the contributions of Indigenous, M??tis and Inuit scientists through brief portrait presentations on our learning management system, 2) creating a list of Calls to Action aimed at decolonizing research practices in natural science, and 3) assessing the impacts of, and solutions for, the absence of Indigenous, M??tis and Inuit communities to genomic databases. These strategies can help students by incorporating a critical lens in science education and centring the voices and experiences of Indigenous peoples, understanding the importance of respecting Indigenous knowledge systems and developing cultural competency skills essential for working with Indigenous communities respectfully and ethically. During this workshop, participants will discuss and brainstorm Call to Action, potentially applicable to their courses (experiments, assignments, and assessments) and how to link these strategies effectively to laboratory learning outcomes. The participants will also discuss approaches to expand the learning outcomes linked to genomic databases and strategies to help students see the data points as individuals and not only as raw data.
Keywords: Indigenization, Calls to Action, Truth and Reconciliation, Land Acknowledgement, Genomics
University of Manitoba (2025)
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