Week 12 Blog Post – Mathematics in Diverse Cultures

Part 1

      I found all of the articles for the week extremely interesting and compelling reads. From my own experience in elementary school I can remember the discrimination faced as a female in the classroom. I can recall clearly how the boys were expected to pursue math and science and the girls were presumed to be more enthusiastic about the arts; drama, creative writing, drawing and painting. This was a theme that occurred throughout my entire schooling journey, well into high school. I can also recall so clearly the reaction I received when one of the teachers at my high school found out that I won my grade 12 Foundations of Math award for having the highest average in our grade. He dismissed me almost instantly and made a joke saying “well that’s the easy math, it’s nothing compared to pre-calc.” And although I would agree with him on any day that calculus is much more challenging than workplace math, this interaction just seemed like it was meant to deflate any confidence I had in myself as a female academic. 

Part 2

       The three main takeaways that I came across throughout Poirier’s article, in terms of ways that Inuit mathematics challenge Eurocentric ideas were; numerical reference (oral), traditional measurement tactics (ex seasonal calendar), and spatial relations (focus on location recognition and familiarization, rather than angle specific geometry). These examples were extremely eye opening for me because prior to this week’s lecture I had never thought that culture could impact a subject like mathematics. It is very fascinating to think about how our interpretations and worldviews have an impact on every single level of education. Our learning habits are deeply embedded in our culture.