Hayley & I decided to do our final assignment together. We had so much fun doing it, we really hope you guys enjoy!
Digital Story link down below! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sfJyGQUO3Y
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Thinking back to my school days that involved learning about mathematics, I remember the teachers always having one specific way to learn math. For example if it was division, we understand there are multiple ways to get the right answer but in school they only taught us one way. This was unfortunate for the students who didn’t understand that way and in some cases, I was one of those students. It was more in elementary school that it occurred but once I got into high school, it was more flexible in learning math because we got taught different ways. I definitely found myself exceeding better when we had those different ways!
I have a younger sister who is 8 years younger than me and she was learning multiplication at the time. When the class was learning multiplication, the way that were teaching it my sister couldn’t comprehend. She came home one day and tried to explain how to do it, but I could tell she was confused and frustrated. I decided to teach her the way that I understood it and as we continued to do multiple questions, she finally got it. It was a great feeling for both her and myself simply because I saw how happy she was. The next day, she handed in her homework and her teacher was upset because it wasn’t the way she taught it. I actually went to the school, talked to the teacher and asked her why it was a problem, but all she said was that’s not the way she wants her students to do it. This really made me stop and think about how many students were probably on the same boat as my sister. All students learn math differently and this is a prime example on how a students learning is disrupted. In Louise Poirier’s article “Teaching mathematics and the Inuit Community,” there are many different ways they would approach for teaching students mathematics. The first one that I recognized was “Oral numeration” which included presenting numbers in an oral way. It mentioned in the text that “the challenge is also in the fact that each number has different forms according to the context,” which could be confusing for the people that are trying to grasp the concept (pg.57). The second way that was brought up is “Sense of space,” that is all about ways to “to help orient themselves” (pg.59). I found this one interesting because it is a way that the Inuit are connecting to nature with math. The last way that I read was “measuring,” this approach was very interesting to me because they measured by using body parts. Some Inuit people still use this way to this day! For my school experience, I went to a school that didn’t have many different ethnic backgrounds. The diversity is was very little, but since I was from a small town, it wasn’t common for much diversity within the community. When I was younger, the town had majority of “white” people but as the years went on, more and more people came over from the Ukraine and Africa because they got a job in town. For the children who are in my school now definitely see more diversity than I ever did when I went. We originally had two schools in Hudson Bay, an elementary school (K-6) and high school (7-12). In 2016, we knocked down the high school and built a beautiful K-12 school. I got to experience 2 years in the new school and it was surely a change to be a high schooler with the younger students. At first, I thought it was gonna be strange but it really turned out to be great. It gave all the students a chance to interact with one another and develop relationships with all ages.
Thinking about “single stories,” learning about different cultures wasn’t a main focus because there was a lack of multiple cultures in the community. The only time I can remember doing something that included learning about other cultures. It was a project called the “Bizarre” which resulted in students picking a country and presenting their new knowledge to other people (families, friends and classmates). Social studies throughout grades 6-9 sort of touched up on other countries but mostly just our country and its history. One thing that I think about a lot is the fact that I learned more about Treaty Ed throughout my elementary years than I did in high school. Like I’ve mentioned before, Treaty Education is an option not a requirement. It’s unfortunate to think about the little amount that I was taught in high school about it. I strongly feel that it is important to incorporate Treaty Education in all grades not just certain ones. I will say that I was very lucky to have the teachers and school that I did, but if I could change one thing, it would be to bring a better understanding of ethnicity and Treaty Ed in all grades. We realize that the curriculum is very inspired by politics simply because they feel the knowledge they have about what should be taught in schools is very valid for students and their learning. I believe when we think about the government, there is not a single person who is satisfied with the decisions. In this case that just happened in our country, for example, I can see why citizens were frustrated. There is so much wrong with the government, the quote “If conflict is what attracts public attention, then conflict is what politicians will create since public attention is what they must have,” shows exactly what I mean. If we continue to bring a government that is NOT going to benefit our country, why are we voting for them? My main concern about this is that the government plays a huge part in the education system and making the curriculum, and could eventually lead to something that is harming towards it.
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