Kahua A'o-A Learning Foundation: Using Hawaiian Language Newspaper Articles for Earth Science Professional Development

Kahua A'o, a National Science Foundation Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences project, seeks to prepare educators to address issues of underrepresentation of Native Hawaiian students in Earth and Space Science (ESS) and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. An interdisciplinary team provides culturally grounded, place and standards-based curricula, and professional development (PD), drawing on 4,000-plus weather- and geology-related, Hawaiian-language newspaper articles that convey the importance of ecological knowledge to identity, social status, and sustainability. The project expands Hawaiian resources for science educators and scientists, supports revitalization of an endangered language, and presents original research correlating articles on drought and rains with 19th century El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. Professional development with two cohorts of educators finds interest in studying local phenomena, using technology to map cultural and science phenomena, incorporating place and culture into instruction, and, in some schools, challenges to implementing interdisciplinary instruction.