Part 1) When I think about how I was taught math at first I was not considering the many rigid rules, or the ways instances where there was only one accepted way to calculate things. I was focused on how well it worked for me, all of it made sense, I was only learning one way that happened to resonate with me. I had not considered that there were others in my classes who likely struggled with showing their work, deciphering word problems or even had a hard time understanding the way it was taught to them. Its an important reminder, I think, that just because something does not discriminate against me doesn’t mean that everyone has that experience.

 

I think about one of my friends who always succeeded in math and science with me but could not figure out word problems. We would often work together on assignments in high school and she would always grasp the concepts easily, when she went to university she found out that she had dyslexia, finding out at 20 that everyone else reads with ease is frustrating. It makes me mindful that there are many students who may have a limitation or an exceptional need that is not even known by them, because how can we understand that the experiences of others are different than our own if we do not seek them out. I found that in high school many of the teachers mostly science and math would ridicule students for a lack of what they deemed understanding, and granted some concepts are difficult to conceptualize, it makes it hard for people to reach out for help.

 

I also know that I was fortunate enough to take all my years of schooling with the same group of teachers and students in French immersion, where the teachers were able to easily learn how each student worked best by the end of the four years. For students who may have to move around a lot, aren’t able to show up as often or have less free time to complete work courses like mathematics may be a struggle. Not just because of the content but by the specific parameters which their work is constrained.

 

Part 2) Viewing mathematics through a Eurocentric lens often has an emphasis on the use of mathematics to solve problems. Counting change, building structures, and calculating prevalence is not something that is used in the same ways in Inuit communities according to the article. It is also important to note that Inuit communities are not the only peoples affected by a divide between math and real life, the same thing was found with “Australian Aboriginals”. Traditional ways of learning and knowing are very different from the lecture style we typically see in schools in Canada, rather an observational method is far more affective for Inuit children according to the findings in the article. Another finding which was very interesting to me was that since much of the knowledge if not all was passed down orally they have a system of orally representing quantities similar to French where their numbers are essentially four twenties and ten for 90.