Understanding Numeracy

Thinking back to my experiences with mathematics in school, I only seem to recall the negative events. I believe I have mostly negative memories associated with mathematics because of how much it challenged me. For me, especially in high school, math was taught out of a textbook. Learning through a textbook is not my first choice as I am more of a visual and auditory learner. I learn best when someone is able to explain while modeling multiple examples or ways to reach an answer. Having a teacher who was only able to explain the concepts in the one way, which was the one and only way he claimed he had taught that math class for the previous 15 years, is oppressive. Sometimes I was not able to fully understand his way to solve the problem and wondered why he couldn't explain it in another way. I wondered if he ever considered the fact that his way of solving the problems made more sense to him only because he had been doing it for so long. It's oppressive as it was only suitable for the verbal learners being able to quickly pick up what they were reading from the textbook. This math class allowed the verbal learners to excel while leaving learners like me behind and feeling inadequate for not understanding. This placed students in the class with uneven opportunities. Another way my math class was oppressive as the teacher would call on any student to answer their posed question even if the students did not have their hand up. This is oppressive as it puts pressure on students who may already be feeling insecure with their abilities in math. 

Poirier's article explained the differences between mathematics in Inuit communities and the Eurocentric ideologies behind mathematics I have learned. One example of Inuit mathematics challenging Eurocentric ideas is the way the Inuit developed several forms for a number to be represented. Poirier (2007) explained this difference as "each number has different forms according to context" using the example of the number 3 being represented in six different ways. (p. 57). For me and having learned the Eurocentric ways of mathematics, having multiple forms for one number would be confusing when trying to solve word problems and using the same number in multiple contexts. Another difference noted in the article was the importance given to the sense of space Inuit use to orient themselves. With the ever-changing environment, they are precise in their vocabulary in expressing their position in relation to objects like an inukshuk. Having a greater perception of space would be much more beneficial for myself as I am not the best with direction while traveling, this would also assist me with geometry, studying the sizes, shapes, positions, and angles of objects. The final way Inuit mathematics challenges the Eurocentric ideologies of math is their way of measurement. The biggest difference in measurement between the two cultures is the traditional calendar. The Inuit months are based on how long it takes for a natural even to take place, as opposed to Eurocentric solar calendars.