RECIPROCAL

DEAP is a school in the Navajo Nation founded by members of the community with the goal of offering their children an education rooted in their Indigenous Diné culture. As a result of a DEAP education, students will be able to use their cultural, vocational, and academic skills to analyze their surroundings in order to plan the transformation of their community and their world, live a healthy life and use the tools they were taught to achieve holistic wellness, use their understanding of identity, and its impact on local and global communities to promote the restoration and perpetuation of Diné culture, and honor the history and the legacy of the Dził Ditł’ooí area by consciously balancing the needs of the land with the needs of the people.

In this UW EduTalk, Dr. Megan Bang details learning programs facilitated for students that expands their understanding and experiences of "learning science". She does this by telling the story of a student, Derek and how he was able to learn about science through field based learning experiences outside of a traditional classroom setting. Through this learning experience, Derek is able to develop a new identity of what it means to be a learner, what it means to learn science, and what it means to "work" in science.  (Watch video from second 18 to min 4.02) By shifting learning outside of the traditional classroom and into environments where indigenous peoples possess cultural and historical connections, Professor Megan Bang is exploring how to improve outcomes for Native youth.