Decolonising the secondary science curriculum
- Karen L
- Mar 22
- 4 min read
For those of us working in secondary school science decolonisation can feel like something that happens in Higher Education, or possibly down the corridor in humanities, but the science curriculum offers myriad opportunities to recognise and question western-centric perspectives and the impact of colonialism on our understanding of science.
What is decolonisation?
Decolonisation requires us to recognise our western or North European perspectives in what we teach (the curriculum) and how we teach in the classroom. Alongside making our lessons more inclusive and challenging bias, decolonisation requires us to include and celebrate a range of different perspectives and knowledges in our teaching. Ultimately, decolonising our teaching aims to broaden minds and increase social justice.
Easy right?
Getting to grips with decolonising an already packed science curriculum can seem overwhelming. As science teachers we may not feel we know enough about our colonial past; we may fear getting things wrong or causing offence; and when would we find time to teach these additional concepts anyway? In fact, the science curriculum already investigates how ideas develop over time and considers the ethical implications of scientific discoveries and applications. There are plenty of opportunities to introduce small changes, build a knowledge base and increase confidence.
Why is decolonisation important?
When the students in our classrooms see people from their backgrounds and perspectives represented in their lessons it helps them engage and feel connected to the learning. Inclusive approaches promote equality, support students' critical development, and prevent an insular view of knowledge and learning.
What it isn't
Decolonising the curriculum is not about deleting existing knowledge, or ignoring our existing curriculum. Rather, it is about embracing a wider range of perspectives and showing students how to continue to question and engage with the world around them when they leave formal education.
Four steps to decolonising your teaching
Increase visibility and raise awareness
Check your resources - are people of different genders, ages, races and religions represented? There are lots of great resources provided by events such as Black History Month - and you can use them all year round! This isn't decolonising, but it is a useful first step to developing your own awareness and sharing it with your students.
Challenge bias - be a role model
Review how people of different and genders and backgrounds are represented in your lessons and your curriculum. If students only ever see people from (say) the African continent in images about sickle-cell disease, low income countries or the slave trade, which conclusions will they draw? What alternative narratives could you include?
Why not look at the work of Joseph Nguthiru and his team when studying topics looking at plastics and sustainability? They are turning an invasive species of water hyacinth into biodegradable plastics and solving two problems at once.
https://www.obama.org/stories/innovation-in-action-joseph-nguthiru/
Or in a lesson on pressure in liquids, look at free diving and the story of Jacques Francis, a Guinean diver who led the team to salvage the guns from the Marie Rose for Henry VIII, providing a nice cross-curricular link with history.
https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/black-tudors/0/steps/243596
There are plenty of positive stories out there which encourage us to value other cultures and backgrounds and recognise we have much to learn from them.
Look at your curriculum and lessons from a different perspective
Most of the science curriculum has a European or North American focus. There is nothing wrong with this - our students should understand the culture and context of the country they are growing up in. But why not include some other perspectives?
For example, in a lesson looking at the environmental impact of pesticide use, why not compare the impact on communities in the UK, Malawi, Bangladesh and India? Where do the similarities and differences lie? Or when studying renewable energy, consider what is happening in a country like Kenya which aims to have 100% clean energy by 2030. Unburdened by a Victorian infrastructure and with different resources, Kenya is planning for the immediate and long term future in an exciting way. Studying different perspectives doesn't just improve students' knowledge of the wider world, but helps them understand their own context better too.
Recognise other forms of knowledge and learning
Decolonising knowledge means recognising knowledge from different sources, including Indigenous and local sources. For example, at GCSE we already look at drugs extracted from plants, such as aspirin and digitalis. Alongside the use of mouldy bread and honey (which contain antibiotic agents), these have been used for hundreds and thousands of years, but were labelled as 'folk remedies' rather than scientific discoveries, and not given the same knowledge status. Similarly, researchers in Australia are just beginning to understand the depth of astronomical knowledge held by ancient Aboriginal peoples and passed on through oral traditions. As well as changing their view of different knowledge systems, researchers are uncovering their impact on modern Australia.
Summary
Decolonising the science curriculum is not something that can be achieved overnight. It takes time to adjust our perspectives and to research and integrate new ideas into our teaching - time that is difficult to find in a busy teaching schedule. Think of it instead as a longer-term process - aim to make small changes and let your understanding and range of resources grow as you go along. Enjoy discovering new stories and sharing them with your students.
Resources
I highly recommend The Bias Diagnosis podcast by Ivan Beckley and In Search of Black History by the wonderful Bonnie Greer. Other useful reads/listens are listed below.
Short article on why decolonisation matters in teacher education
Pran Patel explains why decolonising the curriculum is necessary and gives some pointers
Quetzala Carson gives a more academic approach, coming from the University of Alberta, she has a different perspective.
Arday, J., Zoe Belluigi, D., & Thomas, D. (2021). Attempting to break the chain: Reimaging inclusive pedagogy and decolonising the curriculum within the academy. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 53(3), 298-313.
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