Triple rigor, Braiding Sweetgrass, and Food Dignity lessons for eighth grade earth science and beyond

Abstract

Christine Porter called for three forms of rigor—emotional, ethical, and epistemological—to be applied to academic research about sustainable food systems. The triple-rigor framework raises questions about what science should do, which in turn raises questions about how scientists learn. Based on an eighth grade earth science class that I design and teach, I describe teaching practices that help to achieve three goals for students: recognize that science is a worldview, just one way of know­ing among many, and is not superior to any other; build capacity to grapple with complexity and use systems thinking to understand wicked problems; and use science as a tool for social and environ­mental justice. To explain how the teaching prac­tices relate to the goals, I draw on personal experi­ences as a research assistant and postdoctoral scholar on the Food Dignity project, Christine Porter’s mentorship and scholarship, and Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants (2015). The teaching practices include mapping activities, systems thinking, concept maps, and global perspectives, with attention to gratitude and humility. I conclude by noting areas for continued curricular revisions and inviting readers to network and share.