Part 1 (Numeracy): Using Gale’s lecture, Poirier’s article, and Bear’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.

Growing up, I was constantly told in school that you are either an English person or a math person – never both. As someone who did not particularly excel in math, I just thought that my brain was more tailored to English and lacked some essential math wiring. There were many times that I was able to solve a math problem and find the correct answer using my own agglomeration of made-up steps that made more sense to me. However, because I was not following the teacher’s specific steps, I would get marks docked off. Because I was being punished for using my own strategies, this led me to believe that there was only one right way to do math; therefore, since I did not understand it that way, I was bad at math. Gale’s lecture was eye-opening for me. She states, “We are all mathematical beings, but we all do mathematics in our own way.” She also explains, “We’ve been trained to think that very few of us are [mathematical beings].” Hearing her explain this concept was shocking to me. It made me realize that Eurocentric and colonial ideals of education are still very much embedded in our schooling. Children are taught that there is only one way to do things, just as the colonizers forced First Nations children in residential schools to abandon their cultural forms of knowledge to implement the sole use of Eurocentric knowledge. Continue reading “Blog Post 6 – Numeracy and Literacy” →

Respond to the following email while keeping these questions in mind: What is the purpose of teaching Treaty Ed (specifically) or First Nations, Metis, and Inuit (FNMI) Content and Perspectives (generally) where there are few or no First Nations, Metis, Inuit peoples? What does it mean for your understanding of curriculum that “We are all treaty people”?

During fall semester several years ago, Dr. Mike Cappello received an email from an intern asking for help. Here’s part of it: “As part of my classes for my three week block I have picked up a Social Studies 30 course. This past week we have been discussing the concept of standard of living and looking at the different standards across Canada . I tried to introduce this concept from the perspective of the First Nations people of Canada and my class was very confused about the topic and in many cases made some racist remarks. I have tried to reintroduce the concept but they continue to treat it as a joke. The teachers at this school are very lax on the topic of Treaty Education as well as First Nations ways of knowing. I have asked my Coop for advice on Treaty Education and she told me that she does not see the purpose of teaching it at this school because there are no First Nations students. I was wondering if you would have any ideas of how to approach this topic with my class or if you would have any resources to recommend.” Continue reading “Blog Post 5 – Treaty Education” →