Exploring Indigenous Technologies to Mediate Learning of School Science Concepts: Dyeing and Weaving African Baskets

ABSTRACT: The paper is based on a study that explored a cultural indigenous technology practice of dyeing and weaving African baskets to mediate learning of chemical and physical changes in chemistry. The study contributes to ongoing debates on inclusive ways of knowing, with a particular focus on the Africanization of science education. It advances theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical understandings of how indigenous technology systems can be effectively and meaningfully embedded within formal science curricula. The study offers new insights into contextualized and culturally responsive science teaching and learning within African contexts. The study employed a qualitative case study involving four grade 8 physical science teachers, a critical friend, and an indigenous knowledge custodian as participants. The intention was to expose physical science teachers to the indigenous technology so they could explore its relevance as a cultural tool to support learning of chemical and physical changes. Data sets were gathered using participatory observations and teachers’ journal reflections. Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory, together with Shulman’s pedagogical content knowledge framework, was employed as a theoretical and analytical framework, respectively. The teachers found a number of school science concepts embedded in the culturally indigenous technology practices of dyeing and weaving. The indigenous technology was thus found to be appropriate and useful for mediating the learning of chemical and physical changes. This study recommends school-based teachers’ continuing professional development workshops, where teachers work with community elders in exploring indigenous knowledge practices. The Indigenous Knowledge Custodian can be invited into the classroom to demonstrate the practices to the learners, or the teachers can take learners into the community to observe these practices and make connections to school science. Science teachers are encouraged to explore various indigenous knowledge technologies and identify the science topics/concepts embedded in the relevant indigenous technologies to contextualise science. Keywords: physical science, chemical and physical changes, indigenous technology, dyeing and weaving, socio-cultural theory, PCK