As someone who really struggled with mathematics all throughout elementary and high school, I had a different school experience than my friends who excelled at it. For starters, lunch hours and spares became extra math tutoring time. While I appreciated my teachers offering extra help, and I always went willingly as I wanted to get better at the subject, it was hard not to be envious of my friends who were able to go for lunch together or get slushy runs, while I was cooped up in a classroom by myself just trying to survive the unit. And while I had some great math teachers over the years, I also noticed that sometimes when someone has been teaching a subject for a long time a certain way, they may not be able to shift their teaching style or approach to help students who may not learn that way, or won’t even be able to understand why you aren’t getting it at all as it comes so easily to them. Years where I had teachers like this I suffered the most, because I felt I couldn’t ask questions for fear of looking dumb or having the teacher get frustrated with my many questions and lack of understanding. So as a result I suffered in silence, and it reflected in my grades, and my confidence.
Inuit mathematics challenges Eurocentric ideas about the purposes of mathematics and the way we learn it in a few ways. According to Teaching Mathematics and the Inuit Community by Louise Poirier, “Inuit students learn Inuit mathematics (for example, a base-20 numeral system) in their own language in the first three years of their schooling and then go on to study in either French or English.” pg. 2. Secondly, the document states that “Inuit children develop spatial representations that are different from those of children who live in a city like Montreal.” pg. 4. And finally, “Traditional Inuit teaching is based on observing an elder or listening to enigmas. These enigmas can be clues for problem solving in mathematics. Furthermore, Inuit teachers tell me’ that, traditionally, they do not ask a student a question for which they think that student does not have the answer.” pg. 4.
Louise Poirier (2007) Teaching mathematics and the Inuit community,
Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 7:1, 53-67, DOI:
10.1080/14926150709556720
Hi Madison, I think it is safe to say that everyone has a different math experience while taking mathematics in school. I think as a teacher it is important to learn different approaches to teach math to benefit all children and their different learning styles. Because you said you struggled learning math in school, do you have a teaching strategy you would use when teaching math to future students?
Hi Madison,
I had a very similar experience with math and needed extra tutoring as well. Zoo you think because you struggled with math, you would have a better way to teach math? I really enjoyed hearing your experience and I thank you for sharing.
Hi Madison, I as well had a hard with math growing up. It was nice to read about your alternative approaches to teaching mathematics that challenge the Eurocentric view of the subject. what steps can educators take to incorporate Inuit mathematics into their teaching practices and create a more inclusive and diverse mathematics curriculum?