Page 457 - Cultural Studies of Science Education

432 P. Chigeza and H. Whitehouse

Recognising Islander Ways

Every student learning the language of science – regardless of their home language’s
alignment with the language of instruction – faces similar problems as a second
language learner navigating and negotiating the border crossings between home,
school, and science education discursive fields (Yore and Treagust 2006). The prob-
lem is compounded when one’s home languages are accorded much lower status
than the language of instruction (Malcolm 1998). In such a situation, small moves
become significant. One means of redress is to mobilise existing cultural capital in
the classroom. Educators can confer equal recognition to the cultural capital
indigenous students bring with them to school. When indigenous students’ cultural
capital is ignored in science learning – as is unfortunately rather common – it
becomes much more difficult for indigenous students to participate in class on an
equal basis.
It seems reasonable to research the cognitive, social and cultural capital Torres
Strait Creole represents and consider how teachers can draw upon this to promote
and enhance science learning in the classroom. Functional substitutes for concepts
and instructional science terms derived from home languages can be adapted to
English language classrooms. Michie (2002) makes a strong case for multilingual
learning and certainly in informal peer discussions and hands on learning activi-
ties. Philemon documented his students talking and explaining science to each
other in Creole and has taught concepts using familiar objects and activities. While
Torres Strait Creole is an unequally valued language when compared with Standard
Australian English in the formal education context, we see no reason why its
nuanced conceptual resources cannot be marshalled for the project of learning
science. Indigenous students at school traverse intersecting knowledge and language
systems on a daily basis (Nakata 2002). A science learning framework to accom-
modate students’ experiences and everyday ways of speaking and knowing seems
a reasonable approach that can also get around a problem explored by Yore (2008)
that using or not using appropriate scientific language (in English) does not alone
guarantee students have fully conceptualised scientific ideas. Words, symbols and
terms are labels that may have no direct association with an underlying idea, or
may have different meanings than the same label in another discourse community,
discipline or social context. Correct spelling (or pronouncing) of the word does not
ensure conceptual understanding of the signalled idea when the student is also
negotiating language. Marshalling the nuanced richness of Creoles and other home
languages may be of considerable value in developing authentic contextual scien-
tific understandings with middle school indigenous students. Klenowski (2009)
calls this “culturally responsive pedagogy.” There is still much work to do on this
idea. Additionally, whatever gains we make with respect to classroom practice,
what remain are the problematic nature of knowledge reproduced through state-
mandated curriculum and the problem of standardised assessment of achievement
in science used to manufacture “the gap” in indigenous and non-indigenous
student achievement.