Introduction:

This study presents the effects of using place-based and inquiry-based learning processes on American Indian students’ (Ojibwa) cognitive knowledge and regulation through the use of KWL Charts. In this study, we employed Schraw, Crippen, and Hartley’s (2006) metacognition model involving the components of cognitive knowledge and cognitive regulation to investigate students’ metacognitive development. We specifically asked: (1) How is the American Indian students’ cognitive knowledge affected by the use of KWL Charts through a place-based watershed management module? (2) How is the American Indian students’ cognitive regulation affected by the use of KWL Charts through a place-based watershed management module?

Where an Indigenous epistemological perspective is holistic and requires connections to be made between an integrated or interdisciplinary way, taking into account the myriad of interconnections between living and natural entities, western science is more focused on collecting evidences about those interconnections. Thus, student understanding about the environment surrounding them is an amalgam of these two different ways of acquiring knowledge. Considering the fore-mentioned, we tried to make the curriculum and pedagogy culturally relevant by incorporating the use of local resources and we also chose various non-traditional assessment methods like concept mapping and KWL charts to extract students’ cognitive knowledge and regulation about watersheds and their management. Our overall goal was to uncover student understanding and cognitive processes about watersheds that they have constructed for themselves inclusive of both western science and traditional knowledge.

KWL Charts and Metacognition:

KWL chart is a form of metacognitive self-assessment tool (Gold, 1997; Shaaban, 2001). The KWL method is designed to raise the awareness of learners and develop their metacognition (Mok et al., 2006). KWL charts (1) activates the students' previous knowledge about the topic, (2) helps students monitor their learning, (3) lets students evaluate their comprehension of the text, (4) provides students with opportunity to expand the knowledge and exceed that as to read beyond the lines (Jennifer, 2007). Individuals who have better knowledge and awareness of their learning, knowledge status and learning targets are more able to engage in regulating their own learning (Gordon & Debus, 2002), which results with positive effects on learning outcomes and self-efficacy (Butler & Winne, 1995).

Participants and Context:

Fifty-six, 4th to 8th grade American Indian students participated in the Watershed Management module. Students were grouped based on their grades to provide age-appropriate instruction. The lessons were part of an NSF ITEST (Information Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers) funded summer and afterschool program for American Indian youth in the Midwest US. This innovative program strives to make learning STEM accessible and more culturally relevant to Ojibwa youth (grades 4-8). The focus for the module during summer 2012 program was creating awareness about watersheds, their management and their sources of pollution. All the activities were focused on understanding what constitutes a watershed, what are the human impacts on watershed and water bodies and what are the best practices for watershed management.

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