Knowledge relations for just and sustainable futures: a two-row learning approach to climate complexity

Project Team

Picture of Mathieu Feagan
Picture of Leslie Wexler
Picture of Madison Hill
Picture of Vanessa Schweizer
Picture of Naomi Paul

Mathieu Feagan, Knowledge Integration

Leslie Wexler, Centre for Teaching Excellence

Madison Hill, Centre for Teaching Excellence

Vanessa Schweizer, Knowledge Integration

Naomi Paul, Research Assistant and PhD student, Systems Design Engineering

(Project timeline: September 2023 - August 2024)

Project Summary

This project pilots a two-row learning approach to working with Indigenous and Western knowledge relations in building just and sustainable futures. Through a three-part problem-based learning workshop series, 45 UW students will work in interdisciplinary teams to analyze a complex climate problem. Indigenous and Western scholars will support student exploration of sacred space, intersectionality, cognitive justice, intergenerational and peer-learning, as key concepts for addressing climate complexity. A questionnaire completed before the workshop series will ask students about their exposure to Indigenous and Western anti-oppression frameworks; evaluation forms completed after each workshop will collect feedback on student learning outcomes; and a final questionnaire will assess student perceptions of the value of two-row learning after completing the workshop series. Staff and faculty reflections will assess possibilities for scaling-up this approach for enhancing teaching innovation and shifting academic knowledge relations towards more inclusive and transformative practices.

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