Author: Amber Doucette (Page 2 of 3)

I did really well in math in school, it was actually one of my favourite subjects. There wasn’t memorization of terms, after terms, after terms, (these terms were more often than not quickly forgotten after an exam), everything just made sense and there was not spelling involved which for me was a bonus. I think I was lucky in the fact that my math teachers were also creative and we were free to use creativity when solving problems, it did not have to be the exact way the teacher would do it. We did it how we understood it. I loved everything about mathematics until I hit grade eleven. My teacher was nice and all, but he only had one way of doing things and suddenly math was not making sense anymore. My favourite subject was now my biggest struggle and I began to hate the subject. Luckily I had a good professor that was creative like the first teachers I had and I fell in love with math again, but the fact that one class and one teacher could change my perspective so drastically was terrifying. It showed me how important it is to involve creativity in all subject areas and to always keep in mind different ways of learning and knowing.

After watching Gale Russell’s lecture, I fell even more in love with mathematics. She challenges western ideas of mathematics and I love it. She states many times during her lecture, that everyone can do math, and it is so true. Math is within every subject area and everywhere in our daily lives. Whether we believe it or not we are all capable in mathematics.

In the article Teaching Mathematics and the Inuit Community, it states, “Knowledge is the condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association” (Poirier, 2007). When looking at knowledge from an association point of view, it gives knowledge purpose and relevance in one’s life, rather than just information that needs to be memorized. Mathematics seems to be the one subject that many forget to connect with our lives and the everyday context in which we use math. When math isn’t thought of as relevant to our daily lives and experiences we begin to unlearn the things we naturally understand.

The most important thing we need to remember and to pass on to our students is that as Russell states many times is that we are all mathematical beings, we are all capable in this subject area. We need to stop “unteaching” our students and guide them in a way that is relevant to their lives and expands on what they already know, rather than separating math from all other subjects.

Bear, L. L. (2000). Jagged worldviews colliding. In M. Batiste (Ed.), Reclaiming Indigenous voice and vision (pp. 77-85). UBC Press.

Poirier, L. (2007). Teaching mathematics and the Inuit community, Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 7(1), p. 53-67.

Russell, G. (2020). Curriculum as Numeracy: Gale Russell’s Guest Lecture for ECS210. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzQmEvbJSZQ&feature=youtu.be

First let’s define what is meant by a single story; a single story is a story that depicts a place or persons in only one way. This means that only one perspective of that place or persons is told, leading to which leads to misconceptions of an entire group of people or location in the world. In school I experienced learning through a lot of single stories, most of them related to the indigenous peoples. In school the truths that mattered were that of western culture or of the majority. All of the single stories that resulted in biases against an entire region or an entire people. Of course these biases usually put these individuals in a negative light.

Knowing now that these “single stories” exist it is easy for me to take them with a grain of salt and know that one truth is not the truth for everyone. Everyone has their own story and are not to be defined by one single story.

My personal biases are few and far between though I do know they still exist. Society and my schooling has put them out there, so of course they do to some extent affect how I think. Knowing this makes it easier for me to challenge and look past these biases. I will continue to be sure to not have a preconceived view of my students, or anyone for that matter before, I am able to get to know who they really are. When setting up my classroom I will carefully chose the books and resources for the classroom and be sure to include a wide variety of cultures, peoples, and views. I want all students to see themselves in the literature I present so each and every one of them know they are welcome, that they matter, and that they belong.

Adichie, C. (2009). The Danger of a Single Story. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/up-next?language=en

Kumashiro, K. (2004). Chapter 7: Examples from English Literature. Against Common Sense: Teaching and Learning Toward Social Justice. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480506.Against_Common_Sense

When talking about treaty education, and teaching treaty education I try to keep in mind that it is still very new to a lot of educators and students alike. When faced with resistance and racist remarks from supervising teachers, fellow teachers, and students, it is important for us to stand our grounds and reinforce the importance of this subject and what it really means. You can always bring up the fact that it is a required part of the curriculum and needs to be taught whether it is your preference to do so or not.

Being at the beginning of my schooling for Education and not receiving any treat education in elementary or high school this is all still very new to me. I think the thing that has stuck with me the most since I’ve started learning about treaty, is the fact that we are all treaty people. A lot of people assume that the only people that are part of treaties are Indigenous to the land, this is not true. There are always two sides of a treaty, just like there are two sides to every contract. This means that everyone who is living in Canada and has citizenship are part of these treaties; a phrase that I have heard repeated often since I started university, and that I have already mentioned, states, “We are all Treaty People.”

When it comes to treaty education there are still a lot of people who are very resistant to it. I believe a lot of this comes from the negative view of the Indigenous peoples in Canada, that had been portrayed for a very long time, this negative image has stuck around and continues to do so. Many teachers do not see the importance of teaching about treaties and justify this belief by stating that they do not have indigenous students or have very few. What they are failing to see and understand is that we are all treaty people and teaching about treaties is even more important when you have more students whom are not indigenous. If you were to ask a student with an indigenous background about treaty they would most likely already be well educated on the subject; if you were to ask a student who was not indigenous the same question they will most likely have little to no knowledge on the matter. This in itself shows how important it is to teach the subject.

To teach treaty education, is to teach our history; to teach the history of Canada, and more specifically of Saskatchewan. Treaties are how Canada has been shaped into what it is today. When teaching about treaties, indigenous studies or more accurately settler studies, the curriculum now includes the truth about what actually happened. All of the negative things have been brought to light and admitted to, like the horrific era of residential schools, and how indigenous people were forced to leave their homes and give up their land. An important part of teaching history is to make sure we do not make the same mistakes that were made in the past. We teach about the holocaust, but until recently the government has denied the genocide that was committed against the indigenous people right here at home in Canada. As teachers it is our job to work towards a better future by educating the future. In teaching treaty education, we can help students to understand our history and how to create a better future.

Chambers, C. (2012). The Contemporary Countenance of Canadian Curriculum Studies. We are all Treaty People. Chapter 1.

Donald, D. (2010). On What Terms Can we Speak?. ULethbridge Faculty of Education. https://vimeo.com/15264558

Saskatchewan Ministry of Education. (2013). Treaty Education Outcomes and Indicators. https://www.edonline.sk.ca/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_3514_1&content_id=_316144_1&mode=reset

There are three basic theories of learning, behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Each of these learning theories are unique from each other and can be helpful in the classroom. The behaviorism theory of learning is based on the idea that behaviours are learned through our interaction with the environment around us. Behaviours are either reinforced with a positive reward, or a punishment is given to discourage unwanted behaviour. A lot of the teachers I had in elementary school used this learning strategy for classroom management, and to encourage participation. If you answered a skill testing question correctly, you either got a treat of some kind or where let to go for recess early. I am an introvert and was very shy and self conscious growing up, responding to questions out loud in front of other students, was not something I enjoyed, I was terrified to be wrong and look stupid. If I was absolutely sure that I had the right answer, a treat was sometimes enough motivation, to get me to answer. Rewarding correct answers isn’t a bad thing, but I personally feel that rewarding effort is more important and effective when it comes to learning and actually understanding something.

The cognitivism learning theory views the student as if they were a computer. Information is inputted and stored for later use and recall. Information can be expanded upon or edited if needed. All of the knowledge comes from the teacher, questions and inquiry are encouraged, but all of the information is passed on through the teacher. For me this type of learning was for the most part pointless, memory was not and is still not my forte. Unless there was a good book, movie, or song that aligned with my interests, I was most likely going to forget everything I had memorized just to pass an exam.

Constructivism is the learning theory I want to focus on as I pass knowledge on to students, and help them to explore knowledge. This approach to learning, actually involves the students in their learning. Learning is more personal and is gained through experiences, asking questions, and nurturing and encouraging the student’s curiosities. Students knowledge, creativity, and ideas are encouraged and it is recognized that teachers can also learn from students. I personally did not experience a lot of this type of teaching until I reached post secondary level classes. I strongly identify with this learning theory and hope to use it for a majority of my teaching. When students become more involved in their learning they are more likely to find enjoyment in it and take on more responsibility when it comes to their education. Behaviorism and cognitivism still does have its place within the classroom, but not as a major focus point for passing on knowledge. I want students to become life long learners and I want to teach them how to learn and not just cram information into them.

UC Berkeley. (2016). Learning: Theory and Research. Teaching Guide for GSIs. Graduate Student Instructor. Teaching and Resource Center.

Looking back on my elementary education experience in regards to citizenship I would have to say it was a fairly geared towards creating personally responsible citizens. In Kahne and Westheimer’s journal article, “What kind of Citizen? The Politics of Educating for Democracy”, a personally responsible citizen is someone who “acts responsibly in his/her community, works and pays taxes, obeys laws, recycles, gives blood, volunteers to lend a hand in times of crisis” (2004. p 239, Table 1). We were taught how to be responsible for our own actions, how to be caring towards others, to help within our community, and to help take care of the environment. Each year our school would go for a walk within the surrounding community to clean up garbage and help the environment. The school would contribute to food drives and had a muffin program to help feed children breakfast, I remember carrying many ice cream pails filled with muffins that my mom had baked and taking them to the office. We were never really encouraged or taught how to be leaders, how to empower others to make positive changes, or find our own ways of creating community groups or events to help out others. We were defiantly not taught a lot about politics, we were just told it was important to vote, not why, or how to choose a candidate or party to vote for. I feel this leads to very uniformed voters who don’t base their vote on knowledge or what they believe the community needs are.

Kahne and Westheimer also describe two other types of citizens the participatory citizen, and the justice-oriented citizen. These types of citizens are more active within the community, have actual knowledge of government and how it works, and know how to organize events to help out their community (2004). I feel that having this type of approach to curriculum leaves out all other cultures and beliefs. There are many people of differing cultures and backgrounds that call Canada their home, having a citizen approach to education makes us no better than the United States and their giant “melting pot” of a society. How can Canada call itself a “salad” the only ways of knowing and being are that of European settlers. Another important culture this education misses out on is our Indigenous peoples. After trying to rid the country of their beliefs and cultures we owe it to everyone to make things right and bring back this beautiful culture that shaped our land in the first place. Dr. Cappello, states in his podcast, “The prairies are the place where Canada perfected the tactics that would violently disposes Indigenous peoples from their lands,” (2019). We are underpreparing students and sending them off into the world lacking the skills to inflict positive change on society. If we as a society want “progression”, we need strong, powerful, equitable leaders to force these changes in the right direction (Dr. Cappello. 2019).

Going into education to improve the world, Westheimer talks about teaching students that they “have a role to play in changing history” (2015). Educating students about the world and not just gearing towards pushing them out into the workforce to be a productive citizen in their community, we are breaking the mold and no longer making puzzle piece citizens that need to fit perfectly into what society is today. Society needs to grow and evolve in a positive way, meaning that students need to learn more than just job skills and about their community. They need to know about the world, be inspired to make positive change, and to strive towards a better world.

Citizen education is about creating “good citizens”, ones that fit in, don’t create waves, and don’t push their strong opinions. These curriculum markers value sameness, white western culture, and doesn’t showcase creativity, individuality, and fighting for a better world. We need change and this doesn’t create change.

Dr. Cappello, M. (2019). OHASSTA Talks – Citizenship Education. https://www.spreaker.com/user/voicedradio/ohassta-talks-citizenship-education-mike

Kahne, J. Westheimer, J. (2004). What Kind of Citizen? The Politics of Educating for Democracy. American Educational Research Journal; Summer 2004; Vol. 41, No.2.

Westheimer, J. (2015). What Kind of Citizen? Educating Our Children for the Common Good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9WF4uVcrlU