Alternation 20,1 (2013) 178 - 202 ISSN 1023-1757 178 Teacher Learning through Tapping into Indigenous Knowledge Systems in the Science Classroom Ronicka Mudaly Raeesa Ismail Abstract This article reports on a qualitative study that involved re-thinking and re- doing teaching, by exploring the value of incorporating practices and knowledge embedded in indigenous knowledge systems. It begins by troubling the notion that all knowledge systems not rooted in the western mode of thinking are ‘naturally’ subaltern. The article focuses on pre-service science teachers who experience challenges when they engage with different epistemologies to inform their practice. Their responses to these challenges are explored through the following research question: How do pre-service teachers learn to teach culturally inclusive science? Drawing on the constructs of sociocultural theory and the Zone of Proximal Development, the way in which pre-service teachers learn was explored. A sample of 30 pre- service science teacher volunteers, who are part of a total population of 98 individuals that study a pedagogic content module at a tertiary institution in South Africa, participated in this study. The methodology describes how the pre-service teachers were trained, through module activities, to teach culturally inclusive science. The participants worked co-operatively in groups and generated lesson plans, as well as written reflections on their activities, which served as the data. The findings reveal that pre-service teachers can, through module activities, be enabled to refer to multiple sources of information, including custodians of indigenous knowledges, as legitimate, relevant and valuable holders of knowledge. Collaborative work among pre- service teachers can increase their confidence to draw on different knowledge systems, by transcending familiar pedagogical boundaries when they train to teach school science. Included among the recommendations is pre-service