The study focuses on the collaboration that developed a bicultural educational resource, the听听Our Supervolcano听virtual field trip. The virtual experience includes insights from kaupapa M膩ori researcher iwi representatives from the Bay of Plenty, alongside geologists and educators, and was facilitated by LEARNZ kai膩rahi, Shelley Hersey (Core Education) and kaupapa M膩ori 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.
鈥淏y 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.鈥
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.
鈥淢膩ori 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 m膩tauranga M膩ori and Western science,听Our Supervolcano听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.鈥
To conduct the research in a culturally appropriate way, a formal kawa (protocol) was established between the lead researcher and M膩ori partners, and culturally acceptable ethics in accordance with the M膩ori partners were implemented. The He Awa Whiria (Braided Rivers) methodology was followed through the multiple stages of engagement. UC Education and M膩ori research expert听Professor Angus Macfarlane听(Ng膩ti Whakaue) served as a kaum膩tua for this collaboration, while UC volcanologist听Professor Ben Kennedy听and UC Science Education expert听Associate Professor Sara Tolbert听supervised the research study.
鈥淭he 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,鈥 Dr Saha says.
鈥淒eveloping 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.鈥
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.
