1. At the beginning of the reading, Leroy Little Bear (2000) states that colonialism “tries to maintain a singular social order by means of force and law, suppressing the diversity of human worldviews. … Typically, this proposition creates oppression and discrimination” (p. 77). Think back on your experiences of the teaching and learning of mathematics — were there aspects of it that were oppressive and/or discriminating for you or other students?
- One way there was some discrimination in math class was dependant on the final answer you got. When I was in middle school, I liked math, but he way my teacher taught me how to do it was confusing, and so my dad taught me a different way to reach the correct answer. The next day my teacher told me the way I reached my answer was incorrect, ad I had to use the method she taught me. This was discouraging because I had the correct answer but the teacher didn’t accept it.
- Another way there was some discrimination was when the teachers would have students answer questions in class. My teachers would always ask the students they knew weren’t struggling with the concepts, and would have the answers. And would leave the students who didn’t know to struggle to understand where they went wrong.
2. After reading Poirier’s article: Teaching mathematics and the Inuit Community, identify at least three ways in which Inuit mathematics challenge Eurocentric ideas about the purposes mathematics and the way we learn it.
- Math isn’t something that is thought to be very useful in helping them solve every day issues. In thinking about this I wonder if it is because there are many Indigenous teachings, and for hunting and fishing they rely on those teachings and not math.
- Their math is done in base twenty, unlike our math teachings which are in base ten.
- They have different methods for counting, this is because their language is oral and not written. As a result there are different ways to describe the context of the numbers.
Leeza Currin 