Difference, Power, and Discrimination Program

This publication discusses ecological mindfulness in relation to cultural construction.  Chinn presents two professional development projects designed to reduce conflicts between culture and science instruction.  The findings suggest that a collaboration of science inquiry with indigenous cultural knowledge and practices geared towards sustainability enhances the development of teachers’ ecological mindfulness as measured by their increase in cultural competency and inclusion within their teaching.  Chinn’s study indicates that the integration of indigenous knowledge into the mainstream scientific discourse can set the stage for promising instructional strategies that are both mindful and inclusive of culturally diverse backgrounds.