108 Integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge with STEM Curriculum on the Wind River Reservation

Faculty Mentor: Tabitha Benney (Political Science, University of Utah)

Data from the U.S. Department of Education in 2019, shows that Native American students had the lowest on-time graduation rate in the United States. In 2023, the Fort Washakie Schools with 97 percent Native American students experienced both lower graduation and attendance rates than the state average (Shippen, 2023; Maloney, 2023). In addition, previous work has indicated that this issue has been exacerbated by lack of material conditions and a lack of appropriate curriculum. To address this issue, our team has begun a study at the Fort Washakie High School to better understand how to improve educational outcomes, especially STEM fields. We hypothesize that the integration of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) concepts with Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), which includes the use of traditional knowledge and practices that have been passed down over generations in a specific place (Hunn, 1993), may help to create more interest among the student populations there. As Sobel (2005) proposes, pedagogy that is affiliated with local contexts, known as place-based education, can boost students’ academic excellence, foster cultural connection, and empower youth to become agents of change within local communities. To study this hypothesis, we will develop curriculum for the High School at Fort Washakie, which explored varied socio-cultural values of Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho—the two indigenous tribes of the reservation—and incorporated those with STEM education for 10th graders. This curriculum will be vetted by teachers on the reservation and then taught in the classroom there. We will then assess the impact of this curriculum on learning outcomes to better understand its long-term impact. Additionally, future research can track the effectiveness of these lessons and student response to the content in relation to schools on the reservation that have not received the treatment. This can then help refine and develop further content for class in these communities.

Bibliography

Hunn, E. (1993). What is traditional ecological knowledge. Traditional Ecological Knowledge, 15, 13-15.

Maloney, W. (2023). Student Absenteeism and Expulsion Data Request. The Wyoming Department of Education. https://wyoleg.gov/InterimCommittee/2023/STR-2023071307-02SelectCommitteeonTribalRelations7.13.23Final.pdf

Shippen, D. (2023). Fremont County School Districts Enrollment and Performance Data, 2017 To Present. The Wyoming Legislative ServiceOffice. https://wyoleg.gov/InterimCommittee/2023/STR-2023071307-0123RM004FremontCoSchoolDistrictEnrollmentandPerformanceData.pdf

Sobel, D. (2005). Place-based education: Connecting classrooms and communities. Great Barrington, MA: Orion Society.