Non-science in the science classroom with Professor Anthony Poole The Shape of Dialogue #13

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Previously titled “Non-science in the science classroom with Professor Anthony Poole The Shape of Dialogue Podcast No 14” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 11, 2026

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Recorded07 Jun 2022

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Professor Anthony Poole School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Aucklandhttps://profiles.auckland.ac.nz/appo310Professor Poole’s ArticlesJapan’s path to becoming a leader in Western science: an Asian perspective on science and other forms of knowledge (short version)Japan’s path to becoming leaders in ‘Western’ science: an Asian perspective on science and other forms of knowledge (long version)Ministry of Education’s curriculum article What is Chemistry and Biology about?In July 2021, seven University of Auckland professors published a letter to the editor in the New Zealand Listener, titled "In Defence of Science".The professors' were responding to a Government education report (see link below), recommending parity for Mātauranga Māori in the secondary school curriculum, and in particular, in the science classroom.The report states:”Our goal is to ensure parity for mātauranga Māori with the other bodies of knowledge credentialed by NCEA (particularly Western/Pākehā epistemologies)."The report also states:"Philosophy and History of Science is a unique strand in Pūtaiao [Māori word for Science], with no equivalent in the New Zealand Curriculum. It promotes discussion and analysis of the ways in which science has been used to support the dominance of Eurocentric views (among which, its use as a rationale for colonisation of Māori and the suppression of Māori knowledge); and the notion that science is a Western European invention and itself evidence of European dominance over Māori and other indigenous peoples. Pūtaiao allows opportunities to incorporate Māori perspectives and knowledge about the natural world into the classroom. In this regard, it decentres Western epistemologies and methodologies."The professors' letter arose from their concern for "the disturbing misunderstandings of science emerging at all levels of education and in science funding", which they state is encourages a mistrust of science. Their concern is in the context of the decline in maths and science achievements in New Zealand schools, particularly by Māori and Pacific Island students.Their letter stated that:"Indigenous knowledge is critical for the preservation and perpetuation of culture and local practices, and plays key roles in management and policy. However, in the discovery of empirical, universal truths, it falls far short of what we can define as science itself. To accept it as the equivalent of science is to patronise and fail indigenous populations; better to ensure that everyone participates in the world's scientific enterprises. Indigenous knowledge may indeed help advance scientific knowledge in some ways, but it is not science".The reaction to the "In Defence of Science" by the University of Auckland, the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi, the Tertiary Education Union, and the New Zealand Association of Scientists was not positive and can be viewed in the following articles…NZ Herald - Scientists rubbish Auckland University professors' letter claiming Māori knowledge is not sciencehttps://tinyurl.com/2p8v2h9sRNZ - University academics' claim mātauranga Māori 'not...

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