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?
I was pretty good at Math and studied to grade 10. After grade 10, option was available by school to take either Math or Biology. There I took Biology with Chemistry and Physics. Thinking back after listening the lecture of Dr. Gale, I feel that we were doing Math on paper and pen and not in a natural and realistic way. I remember some my classmates had hard time absorbing the concepts and even after many attempts they were not able to figure the question out. My daddy helped me to make sense of Elementary Math though he was a Notary Public but tried to teach me with things around. But in school, Math was done in abstract and European way. I was good as I had help at home but not every student enjoys that help.
I think there are many ways to learn and teach Math. Addition and subtraction can be done in many ways. Being taught in an abstract way, I feel that for some students it caused anxiety as no alternative approach was tried so students did not find any relationship in learning concepts. Some students are visual learners. I was having some apprehension introducing subtraction to my daughter who is in grade 2. When I taught her by drawing some cookies and taking some away, she not only enjoyed but picked up quickly. She would find hard to make connection and sense if I had taught her the way I learned in school. As at teacher we should be flexible and explore other realistic ways which can be helpful for the student.
Using Gale’s lecture and Poirier’s article, identify at least three ways in which Inuit mathematics challenge Eurocentric ideas about the purpose of mathematics and the way we learn it.
Inuit Math numeral system is based on 20 and they represent their number orally. Which could be difficult for an outsider. Poirier (2007) describes that “the Inuit have developed a system for expressing numbers orally. They do not have other means of representing numbers; they have borrowed their number symbols from the Europeans”(p.57).
Inuit Math is taught using things that are present practically, making more sense and relationship around place. That can make learning Math easy for children.
Inuit use sense of smell ( smelling air)to say the distance of a bay. They use body parts for measurements. European way of measuring could be more precise. I have seen elders in back home using hands and arms for measuring length.
Inuit have names of month based on the natural activity which could be difficult and confusing to new person. Poirier (2007, p 62) describes, how long one month is depends on how long it takes for a natural event to take place; associated with each month are everyday activities that men and women repeat each year (picking fruit, hunting, gathering eggs, preparing animal hides for sewing, etc.). This is different from the Eurocentric idea of time and challenge the linear way we perceive time.
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