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Science of the Maya: Teaching ethnoscience in the classroom

The Science Teacher—March 2001

Ethnoscience is empirical knowledge of the world held by indigenous people, reflecting their thought processes, values, concepts, and experiences. Drawing on the work of Heinberg (1994), five premises may be identified in Mayan ethnoscience: (1) everything is connected; (2) humans are not superior to nature, but part of it and responsible for it; (3) the world is alive; (4) the world is sacred; and (5) time is cyclical. This article presents ideas to help teachers infuse ethnoscience into the curriculum to offer a broader and richer view of the scientific world for their students by extending the content beyond the narrow scope of traditional Western thought.
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