European Identity - Individual, Group and Society - HumanitarianNet

MULTICULTURAL AN NON-RACIST SCIENCE EDUCATION. NEW APPROACHES ... 325level), which have to be in continuos interaction within Science lessons.Indigenous science identifies with peoples´ cultural background. Personalscience is the rational uniqueness of perceiving reality. Western sciencecorresponds to the content of science curricula.In a Science classroom with pupils from different cultural origins,teacher must be aware of the interactions and communications takingplace between the three possible kinds of science and the various“mirrors” in which Western science is reflected.Ogawa considers that although Western science has become lessauthoritarian and more multi-faceted, no change has yet taken placebetween the culture of the scientific community and other culturesconcerned. Ogawa also proposes being aware of different possiblelevels of relativisation: the questioning of modern science within thescientific community, within Western modern tradition and withincultural contexts.The merging of both approaches: Science education in a multiculturaland multiscientific setting and border crossing between cultures andsubculturesThe cultural perspective recognises conventional Science teachingas an attempt at transmitting a scientific subculture to pupils. However,cultural transmission can either be supportive or disruptive. In the caseof the teaching of Science in a multicultural setting, crossing bordersinvolve cultures and subcultures: the original cultures of the studentsand the cultures and subcultures of the official science, mostlyWestern. But, at the same time, the “official Science” interacts withthe scientific subcultures of the media, the new technologies, etc.When the multiscientific perspective is adopted, the scientific statuschanges completely to introduce a not-only-Western vision of Sciencewhich affects both the nature of Science and the contents of Sciencecurricula. Contributions to science from different countries are to beincorporated. Apart from this, the epistemological view of scienceshould be considered insofar as it provides a more universal and notonly Western view of Science. Contents should be regarded from amulticultural perspective.We are entering a new galaxy, a sort of scientific-culturalanthropology21 . Solutions for such a change are not at hand. Teachersought to be fully aware of the magnitude of the ongoing change.21Hodson, D. (2001). “Inclusion without Assimilation: Science Education from anAnthropological and Metacognitive Perspective”. Canadian Journal of Science,Mathematics & Technology Education, 1, 2.