Paragonimiasis is an illness that involves both humans and animals. It is caused by parasites from the genus Paragonimus (Trematoda: Troglotrematidae). The illness is endemic to tropical and subtropical countries in Asia, Africa, and America, with different species being responsible in different areas. In Colombia, members of the Indigenous Embera community become infected when they eat raw crustaceans which contain the metacercarian form of the parasite, which lives in the lungs, leading to hemoptysis (bloodstained phlegm in the lungs). Eating raw crustaceans is part of the Embera traditions and beliefs. This article describes the effect of a teaching–learning sequence (TLS) based on a controversy about health, biology, and indigenous knowledge (IK) in promoting undergraduates’ awareness of the importance of respecting the traditions and beliefs of indigenous communities. It examines the written and oral arguments produced by 120 university students (59 females and 61 males, 16–28 years old) in Colombia during a complete TLS supervised by the same instructor. The data used in this analysis were derived from students’ written responses and audio recordings. The first aim of this study was to provide evidence that a controversial issue combining health, biology, and IK could be used to promote students’ awareness of the importance of respecting the traditions and beliefs of indigenous communities. The second objective was to assess the effectiveness of the TLS to engage students in argumentative classroom interactions (such as debates) relating to a controversial issue. The findings show that this issue can be useful for promoting undergraduates’ awareness of the importance of respecting the traditions and beliefs of indigenous communities.

肺吸虫病是一种涉及人类和动物的疾病。它是由Paragonimus属的寄生虫引起的（Trematoda：Troglotrematidae）。该病是亚洲，非洲和美洲的热带和亚热带国家的特有病，不同地区的病种不同。在哥伦比亚，原住民的Embera社区成员吃了原始的甲壳类动物，而这些甲壳类动物的原头甲壳动物体内寄生于肺部，从而导致咯血（肺部出现血痰），因此被感染。吃生甲壳动物是Embera传统和信仰的一部分。本文介绍了基于健康，生物学和土著知识（IK）争议的教与学序列（TLS）在促进大学生认识到尊重土著社区传统和信仰的重要性方面的作用。它检查了在同一位老师指导下的完整TLS期间，哥伦比亚120名大学生（59名女性和61名男性，年龄在16-28岁之间）产生的书面和口头辩论。分析中使用的数据来自学生的书面回复和录音。这项研究的首要目的是提供证据，证明有争议的健康，生物学和IK相结合的问题可用于提高学生对尊重土著社区传统和信仰重要性的认识。第二个目标是评估TLS吸引学生参与与争议性问题有关的辩论性课堂互动（例如辩论）的有效性。