Think back on your experiences of the teaching and learning of mathematics — were there aspects of it that were oppressive and/or discriminating for you or other students?

Looking back to my experiences of learning math, I think there were situations where some students were treated differently in the math classroom. I found throughout elementary school there would be a group of 3-5 students who would leave with a TA every math class while the rest of the class continued with the lesson. The idea of a European-style classroom with the curriculum and outcomes students have to reach by the end of the year was probably to blame for the group leaving and requiring more assistance with classes.

I found math in high school to be fairly inclusive. There were no TA’s and our teacher was so thoughtful and respectful answering any questions. He would have his door open at all hours of the day and would even stay after school and wait in case any struggling students wanted to stop by for help. I also found the 3 different levels of math classes available allowed students who struggled to take a different style of math, although this may have had consequences as only certain math courses are accepted at the university level.

Part 2: After reading Poirier’s article: Teaching mathematics and the Inuit Community, identify at least three ways in which Inuit mathematics challenge Eurocentric ideas about the purposes of mathematics and the way we learn it.

I did not read this article.