Indigenous peoples of Canada had their own way of knowing, being and learning long before European settlers came to these lands. In the reading by Leroy Little Bear, Jagged Worldviews Colliding, he explains the impact that colonization has had on Indigenous education and worldview. With the colonization of Canada and westernized education, Indigenous ways of knowing were not included in curriculum.
The main focus Bear emphasizes is that there are so many worldviews, experiences and different ways of teaching and learning. Yet, when it comes to mathematics, it is very limited on how it is taught. When I was in high school, mathematics was my toughest subject. However, my teachers always gave marks out for showing your work. So, that is how I got through math because I rarely reached the correct answer.
In the Inuit Culture, Louise Poirier says mathematics is challenged in the following ways:
1. Instead of utilizing pencils and paper, you’d watch your Elder or go through riddles.
2. Inuit mathematics uses Base-20 instead of Westernized mathematics (Base-10).
3. Instead of speaking only in English like most Western students when learning mathematics, Inuit educators teach math in English, French and their native language.
Ashleigh,
I agree with all the points you raised and the question I struggled with when responding to the prompt was figuring out how to change it. After being in the classroom, I recognize that not all students have the same story. Their culture and history are a key element of who they are and how they look at the world. However, regardless of how much I know about my personal biases and my attempts to learn more, it is still not an easy change to make. Have you been successful in broadening the message in the classroom or have you noticed it being successfully done by others? I still look at myself as a student first and an educator second, so am looking for other stories to help with my own learning and to be able to share with my students.