GC Insights: Diversifying the Geosciences in Higher Education: a Manifesto for Change

There is still a significant lack of diversity and equity in geoscience education, even decades after widespread calls for improvement and action. We propose an approach and specific opportunities for educators to improve diversity in geoscience 20 education within higher education: 1) advocating for institutional change, 2) incorporating diverse perspectives and authors in curricula, 3) teaching historical and sociopolitical contexts of geoscience information, 4) connecting geoscience principles to more geographically diverse locations, 5) implementing different communication styles that consider different ways of knowing and learning, and 6) empowering learner transformation and agency

considering the complex, holistic origin, and implications of Indigenous science (Tsosie, 2019). Incorporation of Indigenous knowledge into curriculum should align with CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics) principles (The Global Indigenous Data Alliance).

Integrate Historical Context 70
We can make geoscience education more inclusive by highlighting historical, cultural, and sociopolitical dimensions of geological discoveries. Scientists and marginalised groups are devalued when these aspects are excluded, and the meaningfulness of their contributions is lost. Cartier (2021) and GeoContext raised that few instructors attempt to explain geoscience in historical contexts, like the concept of isostacy and its connection to the British colonial project, the Great Trigonometrical Survey, that aimed to survey the land (Sarkar, 2012). Pandits (Indigenous explorers) brought their intimate 75 knowledge of the land and access to places that the British did not. Pandits contributed significantly to this project yet receive no acknowledgment in Western education. Even today, many scientists downplay local researchers' contributions by excluding them from the author list or only mentioning them in the acknowledgments (Stefanoudis et al., 2021). However, geoscience research is a collaborative endeavour and its culture is shaped by narratives of all collaborators. By excluding them in our education, we are robbing future scientists of the chance to develop and practice more inclusive, diverse, and culturally 80 sensitive approaches to science.
To integrate historical context into our taught curriculum, we must construct narratives that give a more complete representation of how scientific findings take place. One way to do this is by offering socio-scientific courses (e.g., geoscience history, culture, and geoethics) to learners, or by incorporating related topics into introductory courses. This will also benefit interdisciplinary collaborations with humanities and social sciences 85

Connect Across Geographies
Geoscience curriculum often focuses on global scales, overlooking local scale context. Most teaching materials emphasize examples from Western regions. For example, many textbooks use the Gulf Stream as an example of ocean-atmosphere dynamics but omit details about the Somali Current and its impact on monsoon behaviour (Schott, 1983). By including diverse geographical contexts, learners can develop a broader understanding of geoscience diversity and variability across the globe, 90 and better connect concepts learned in courses with what is happening in their environment.
Place-based learning introduces different ways of exploring the world, through culturally relevant practices (Johnson et al., 2014;Semken et al., 2017), and can be achieved by diversifying geographic case studies and by using local expertise to understand geoscience concepts. It allows educators to bridge the disconnect between foundational principles, globaltheoretical frameworks, and local-practical applications, such that phenomena can be related to observations with greater awareness of how different locations and communities are impacted. This practice amplifies local experts and supports diverse student learning.

Broaden Pedagogy, Epistemology, & Communication Styles
We can diversify the geoscience curriculum by broadening our approaches to communication, teaching, and epistemology (or ways of knowing). When educators embrace diverse teaching approaches, their students' motivation grows (Tremblay-Wragg, 100 2019), leading to better student engagement and retention. This also helps educators to create inclusive learning spaces, be respectful of diverse audiences, be culturally sensitive, and support the full inclusion of disabled learners and educators.
We can diversify our communication styles by utilising different strategies in teaching (Mintz, 2020;Illingworth, 2020). This will in turn stimulate learners to diversify how they communicate knowledge. Knowledge sharing (e.g., storytelling, oral histories) by the communities that may not conform to Western teaching practices and tend to be excluded as references and 105 from academia. Academic citations and curriculum should be adapted to bring academic recognition to all ways of knowing, learning, and relating (MacLeod, 2021;Kornei, 2021). This will enable educators to practice place-based learning and honour the knowledge and communities of a more diverse student population.

Support Transformative Agency in Education
Educators can support transformative, critical science agency by valuing the learning-teaching-knowledge-experience that is 110 grounded in students' current social-emotional needs (Rodriguez, 1998;Durlak et al., 2011). Here, we write these concepts as one hyphenated term to show that they are connected and must be considered holistically. Agency refers to learners' ability to take knowledge and intentionally pursue actions that produce tangible benefits for themselves and/or their communities (Schenkel and Calabrese Barton, 2020). Pedagogy that places Western scientific knowledge as singular, or the ultimate, source of knowledge prevents the development of agency among learners, especially those from historically excluded communities 115 (Smith, 1999;Masta, 2018;Alexiades et al., 2021). However, the weakening of collective and individual agency is not an inevitable outcome of considering different knowledge systems within higher education (Virkkunen, 2006). Different knowledge systems (e.g., Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western science) can be included and valued in the geoscience curriculum without being broken down to be consistent with one another (Reano and Ridgway, 2015;Smythe, 2017). 120 Education scholars have begun implementing strategies demonstrating how supporting transformative agency and actions support educational equity (Atwater et al., 2014;Bang et al., 2017;Miller et al., 2020). Reano (2020) describes how a climate change adaptation plan created by the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation (Yakama Nation) supported the transformative agency of Indigenous students in a communication and policy geoscience module. Holistic educational frameworks support individual learning while serving individuals' community interests.