In my schooling experience, mathematics was often limiting for me. When solving math problems I often had unique ways of finding solutions or breaking down the problem in my head. Many teachers struggled to understand this and forced me to solve the problems their way, and that my way of thinking was incorrect even when my final answer was the same as theirs.
In addition to this, there were many students that struggled with formal testing in mathematics. A peer of mine would often grow so anxious about their test that they would leave the room in tears. This form of teaching mathematics does not prepare the student for the real world but rather generates fear. Western methods of teaching mathematics often are not inclusive or mindful of neuro-diverse individuals and this can and does lead to an unfair learning experience. This method of teaching mathematics is flawed because you are playing to the strengths of some students and ignoring or neglecting the needs of others.
Inuit mathematics is heavily influenced by their lifestyle. One way that it challenges Eurocentric ideas is that it is almost entirely oral. Unlike the Eurocentric version of teaching mathematics where it is all written and communicated through numerical digits on paper, they communicate their mathematical concepts through oral sharing. Another way that Inuit mathematics challenges Eurocentric ideologies is that they use base 20 in their math. This is drastically different from the base 10 used in most Eurocentric mathematics. Lastly, their calendar is based on natural occurrences around them. I found this incredibly interesting as our calendar is set in stone and never changes but Inuit communities use what they see around them to determine or recognize the time of year they are in.
Great post!
I like how you pointed out that math in North America is always put into examinations to grade it in classrooms. Instead of making sure that the students understand why and how things in math work, they mostly focus on the final answer.
You created a very similar response to my blog post. I also discussed how standard mathematics can be difficult for some students do to the objective design; there is one right way to get to the answer and if you arrive to the same conclusion using different methods its simply incorrect. I found this particularly frustrating because I didn’t grasp onto “standard” formula usage and often taught myself how to break formulas down into multiple sections. The Inuit mathematical ways are truly astounding to me. They use much more practical and applicable forms of mathematics than what we use. The calendar system is one of the most interesting parts of this reading to me; using natural events is incredibly practical in their ways of life and guides how they prepare for the seasons. It is almost like they have a dozen micro seasons in a year determined by events such as caribou losing their antlers.
I also know of people who worked out math problems in their head and struggled to find a way to represent this on paper. This would result in them losing marks on the test and give them a stigma that they are not ‘good’ at math. In what ways would you restructure the traditional way of doing math to prevent this and other issues such as test anxiety? I found it very interesting that the number of days in each month varies in the Inuit culture and this is something to keep in mind if you celebrate birthdays in a culturally diverse classroom.
This is wonderfully well written. I also had the same struggles with mathematics when I was in school because I am neurodivergent. I would find different paths and different methods to getting to the answer, only to get half marks for not suing the proper formula, or even using the right formula and still getting the wrong answer. I always hated mental math because, with my disorder, numbers and letters easily got confused and lost. Mathematics made me feel like a failure, that I wasn’t as smart as I should have been. I enjoyed reading this and love your writing about the different methods the Inuit use for their mathematics. Good work
Hi Jordyn,
I had a similar experience in high school and elementary school. Math was never something that came easily for me, my brain always looked at things so differently. I had different ways of solving that was seen as wrong even when the final answer was the same as everyone else. Mathematics is seen as the most important or the only important subject, if you aren’t good at math than you aren’t smart at all, and it is so sad that society is stuck in that rut. I hope to see a change here in the education system as well.
Hi Jordyn,
Your thoughts and examples of why Western methods do not always work was very insightful. I enjoyed your point on how these views are flawed because they are flawed especially if you do not learn the traditional way. Do you have any thoughts on incorporating Indigenous math in Eurocentric-based schools? Do you think it would help change math and make it more inclusive for all? I hope your views on math and the way it is taught are what are going to change the way we teach. Teaching does need to adjust to the students’ needs and styles of learning. You had great insights throughout the post and I hope to hear more!