“Gaijatra”: Connecting Science Education with Cultural Heritage in a Professional Development Workshop in Nepal

In this chapter, we share our learning that came out of a workshop with forty teachers in a public school that serves pre-primary high school students. The workshop focused on connecting local cultural heritage called Gaijatra as a context for science teaching and learning. We draw from the ideas of culturally and personally relevant or connected learning to understand the value of a cultural heritage in teaching and learning science. We used qualitative methodology to understand teachers’ perceptions, values, and experiences on the connections between cultural heritage and science teaching and learning. We collected data using methods such as observations, field notes, and interviews. The analysis of the data indicated that for many teachers Gaijatra had a personal and pedagogical value. The teachers felt challenged by the mandated external exams and the positive connections that cultural heritage provided in teaching and learning science.