It was interesting to see some of the different ways of looking at education and specifically numeracy and literacy. It was not difficult to see some ways that Eurocentric ideas could be challenged in light of Leroy Little Bear’s article, Gale Russell’s video, and Louise Poirier’s article.
One of the ways in which the Eurocentric ideas could be challenged incorporating more of story telling. Poirier speaks about, “Traditional Inuit teaching is based on observing and elder or listening to enigma’s” (55) This significantly increases a child’s ability to problem solve. Bear also speaks about story telling from Elders in Aboriginal education and they use it for many aspects including teaching social rules and morals.
The Inuit also use nature and the world around them in relating to time and measurement. For example, the months of the year are not static they go along with important events that happens such as, “when birds lay their eggs, when the ice breaks, when sea elephants rest on land.” (62) It is very relatable and part of their everyday world. Gale also speaks about this in her video. She speaks about relationships and asking questions. She focuses on how to interact with math in real life situations that bring it to a useful and relatable level. The words used for the months of the year in the Inuit language also teach the students to be “literate” in nature, the elements, and the animals around them, which connects them to the land and it’s value.
This ties in to the third challenge on Eurocentric ideas of involving community and traditions instead of a static and objective view. Math is not an unchangeable and completely objective entity. There are many questions ways of measuring and understanding that we can learn from the communities around us. The traditional stories from grandparents and community members can be valuable teaching tools by encouraging problem solving, questioning, and finding possible answers.
My education was very singular. It was very Eurocentric and linear, with only the classics. I think that I would have benefited a great deal from some of these other ways of looking at education that make it much more relatable and about a wider variety of people. I know that I come into this with my own biases and lenses of what makes sense to me and what I was taught. I come in with a very Eurocentric way of being taught and that will affect the way I teach. I hope that instead of pulling me backwards it will give me a perspective of others and encourage me not to judge, but to encourage growth of perspectives and knowledge.
Chimamanda Adichie talks about how dangers of a single story can warp our view of the world around us. Kumashiro writes that, “a wider range of experiences and perspectives in the text might also present students with alternatives to the predominant or commonsensical ways of thinking.” (71) I am learning so much about how our common sense is not everyone’s common sense, nor it is the best common sense. We can all learn from each other and it is my goal to learn as much from those around me as possible and continuously adapt and change as new knowledge is incorporated. I will also provide my students with different materials from different views and encourage new and various ways of learning. This course has taught me that there are some incredible resources out there to use either in building lessons or simply playing a video for the classroom, such as Adichie’s video, that can help students see the world from another’s perspective and widen their world a bit.
This all seems very big and abstract if I put it all together at the same time, but it all starts with one step forward, then another, then another.