The study focuses on the collaboration that developed a bicultural educational resource, the泭泭Our Supervolcano泭virtual field trip. The virtual experience includes insights from kaupapa Mori researcher iwi representatives from the Bay of Plenty, alongside geologists and educators, and was facilitated by LEARNZ kairahi, Shelley Hersey (Core Education) and kaupapa Mori researcher, Sylvia Tapuke.
Dr Saha says the virtual field trip can serve as a model for good practices when engaging with local iwi to develop bicultural educational resources. A virtual field trip gives people access to online video, audio feeds and activities, helping students access the often inaccessible.
By studying the development of this resource, we can recommend how to build authentic partnerships with Indigenous communities, which, in this case for example, can enhance the collective understanding of physical processes around volcanoes. Another aspect of this collaboration is around culturally responsive teaching methods, and how teachers can use such resources to create more equitable learning opportunities.
Dr Saha, who was intrigued by the innovative geo-education research at UC, says bicultural research is important for disaster education in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Mori culture has a rich history of resource management practices and can be instrumental in improving preparedness, but it is underrepresented in Western science perspectives. By drawing understanding from mtauranga Mori and Western science,泭Our Supervolcano泭videos are powerful storytelling tools, where students can identify potential career pathways around science and its links with culture in the context of the landscape.
To conduct the research in a culturally appropriate way, a formal kawa (protocol) was established between the lead researcher and Mori partners, and culturally acceptable ethics in accordance with the Mori partners were implemented. The He Awa Whiria (Braided Rivers) methodology was followed through the multiple stages of engagement. UC Education and Mori research expert泭Professor Angus Macfarlane泭(Ngti Whakaue) served as a kaumtua for this collaboration, while UC volcanologist泭Professor Ben Kennedy泭and UC Science Education expert泭Associate Professor Sara Tolbert泭supervised the research study.
The elements of successful partnerships, such as relationships, values, and space for sharing, as indicated by our study, can be instrumental in building partnerships in other contexts, such as resource management or creating curricular resources in Aotearoa New Zealand, Dr Saha says.
Developing resources for building an understanding of natural processes grounded in different knowledge systems can provide an Indigenous approach to disaster preparedness and create access to equitable learning opportunities for all.
The doctoral research was funded by the ECLIPSE (Eruption or Catastrophe: Learning to Implement Preparedness for future Supervolcano Eruptions) programme. Dr Saha is moving to the United States this month to take up a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado, in Boulder.
