ABSTRACT
This chapter describes work with a fourth-grade class in Saskatchewan as the students and teacher engaged in a study of water. This curricular unit was significantly shaped by Aboriginal perspectives and, in part, by dominant Euro-Canadian ideas about science and technology. This mirrors the idea of an eco-pedagogy' that ties respect for the land, Mother Earth, with critical thinking about environmental degradation. Blending place-based education with critical pedagogy generates an approach characterized by blurred boundaries between art making, social critique, scientific inquiry, and activism. In contrast to mainstream schools, local Elders speak of the traditional teaching process in which children figure things out for themselves rather than being told what to think as in the prevailing Euro-Canadian education system. The commitment to environmental responsibility and social justice requires a change in the role of teachers. Students also expressed their thoughts through drumming, poetry, photo voice, and journaling.
