McMahon, K 
ORCID: 0000-0002-3681-6509 and La'akulu, M.K
(2025)
Developing primary science education for environmental adaptability and resilience in the small island nation of Tonga: Talanoa/dialogic approaches to collaboration and action.
In: Academic Network for Global Education & Learning (ANGEL) Conference - Research in Global Education and Learning: For Democracy, Peace, Human Rights, Sustainability, and Global Social Justice, 4 - 6 June 2025, Humboldt Forum, Berlin, Germany.
Abstract
The Kingdom of Tonga is ranked as the second most ‘at risk of disaster’ country in the world (World Risk Report, 2020). There is an urgent need to educate communities to develop resilience to more frequent adverse weather events. Through a World Bank funded project, the Curriculum Foundation has adopted a participatory methodology, working alongside curriculum writers within the Ministry of Education in Tonga to co-develop cross-curricular environmental education training and materials for all schools. The resources centre around dialogic education, reflecting the Tongan cultural philosophy of Talanoa and La’akulu’s work on questioning in Tongan science education. Our work appreciates the epistemological significance of considering cultural philosophies so that learning is attuned to local ecologies of learning. We will discuss how the resources are action-oriented, co-designed through Talanoa (Vaioleti, 2006), sharing stories of the 2022 tsunami, knowledge of mangroves as natural defences, and hopes for the future. This collaborative dialogic approach amplifies the voices of teachers, headteachers and teacher educators, enabling the wider educational community to contribute to the ongoing review of materials. A bilingual and small island context presents particular challenges, but our approach has generated pragmatic proposals for curriculum implementation, shaping policy into practice authentically.
| Item Type: | Conference or Workshop Item (Paper) |
|---|---|
| UN SDGs: | Goal 4: Quality Education |
| Keywords: | dialogic, participatory, environmental education, curriculum, science, policy |
| Subjects: | L Education > L Education (General) |
| Divisions: | School of Education |
| Research Centres and Groups: | Centre for Research in Scientific and Technological Education |
| Related URLs: | |
| Date Deposited: | 30 Jan 2026 17:25 |
| Last Modified: | 30 Jan 2026 17:41 |
| References: | Bay, J.L., Fehoko, F., La’akulu, M., Leota, F., Pulotu, L., Tu’ipulotu, S., Tutoe, S., Tovo, O., T Veikoso, A., & Pouvalu, E. (2016) Questioning in Tongan science classrooms: A pilot study to identify current practice, barriers and facilitators. Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 17, Issue 2, Article 10 (Dec., 2016) Vaioleti, T. M. (2006). Talanoa Research Methodology: A developing position on Pacific research. Waikato Journal of Education, 12(15), 21-34. https://doi.org/10.15663/wje.v12i1.296 |
| URN: | https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/17497 |
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