Worldview is all about interpretation of the world, and it can be completely different from culture to culture. One’s values and beliefs are deeply rooted in their culture, so everyone’s worldview is unique to their way of life. Not one specific worldview is better than another is; it is just because some people only can understand their philosophy, values, and customs. The quote 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), representing the belief that the Eurocentric worldview should be dominant. The Eurocentric worldview values linear and singularity, static and objectivity, and using force and law to maintain a particular social order is built upon these values. Whereas the Aboriginal worldview values harmony, balance, and beauty, law and force do not fit within their values and views on culture and law. Discrimination and oppressive actions can also be found within teaching and learning mathematics. The education system is deeply rooted and based on Eurocentric values. Mathematics strongly supports the value of linear and static, it is scientific academia where students work with numbers, and there is one correct answer taught through a teacher. The aboriginal belief and value that education is through experience taught by relatives as well as storytelling. Collectively aboriginal education is focused on creating good people, where mathematics is not a priority. With colonization, both worldviews, Eurocentric and Aboriginal, were mixed for Indigenous people like a jigsaw puzzle.
After reading Poirier’s article: Teaching mathematics and the Inuit Community, identify at least three ways in which Inuit mathematics challenges Eurocentric ideas about the purposes of mathematics and the way we learn it.
- Inuit mathematics challenges the idea that mathematics is a universal language by implementing that Inuit children learn mathematics in their mother tongue. The Inuit also have a base-20 numerical system, their culture and worldview, what they learn in the mathematic world does not benefit them in their day to day life as Inuit.
- The Inuit also challenge the Eurocentric ideas about math by using their language for the start of a child’s education and their numerical system.
- The traditional Inuit calendar in mathematics goes against the Eurocentric calendar because it is pretty different. The Inuit traditional calendar is not based on the lunar or solar patterns but on natural independently recurring yearly events that are more connected and meaningful to their culture and way of life.
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.
Hi Ireland!
I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I was really drawn in by your description of your thoughts and feelings on world views. It was very interesting to me, the way you described both Eurocentric world views and Indigenous world views. The way you described them allowed us readers to see very clearly how opposite the two are.