The aim of this action research case study was to engage a community of villagers, teachers, students and
district officers in a participatory process to adapt a module of a school curriculum to the local context, and
teach it in order to describe one way in which contextualisation, using local and indigenous knowledge and
active discovery teaching-learning processes, can be done. The major research question was: Does integrating
local environmental cultural knowledge into formal schooling contribute to curriculum relevance? If so, in
what way?
This paper summarises the background and context of the research, the motivation and the theoretical
basis for the work, the methodology and methods, and the action research process itself. The results are
interpreted and discussed in light of current theoretical perspectives on education and environmental
education. The main findings within the case are that contextualisation improved relevance of education and
thus its quality by:
• Breaking through traditional frames/barriers between teachers and students, students and elders and
community and teachers.
• Allowing formal education to take place outside of the school.
• Necessitating a change in pedagogy to more learner-centred discovery methods.
• Allowing indigenous knowledge to come into the classroom.
• Stimulating creativity and increased confidence.
• Bringing local socio-political environmental issues into the classroom.