ETEC 521

Indigeneity, Technology, and Education

Final Paper

Shifting Focus:
Implementing Aboriginal Values in Math and Science Education

Name: Tiffany Tseng

Student Number: 87710125
December 04, 2015

Shifting Focus:
Implementing Aboriginal Values in Math and Science Education

Western science and math education emphasizes the neutrality of science (Marker, 2006,
p. 483). As a math and biology teacher, I have always encouraged my students to base their
arguments on facts and numbers. However, while we believe in the neutrality of science, it has
somehow become a modern-day religion (Deloria, 1995, as cited in Marker, 2006, p. 498). We
have been trained to believe in data and do not question the prominence of the scientific method.
In the recent years, our educational system has also focused on the idea of globalization.
Students learn about the culture and history of distant countries, but many of them know a little
about the community that they live in. While promoting globalization, we are also disconnecting
from our local communities (Marker, 2006, p. 493). Without a genuine care for our own
community, how can we even discuss globalization? Furthermore, our reliance on the Internet
gives us an illusion that we can learn about anything in the world. The convenience of
technology gives us quick access to an unprecedented amount of information, but it is also taking
away valuable opportunities for us to be immersed in a face-to-face environment. These
problems have created a generation of students who are disconnected from their community and
do not see the urgency in the problems or issues that arise in their own neighbourhood. In
contrast, the aboriginal people have always believed in living sustainably in their homeland
(Marker, 2006, p. 490). However, the aboriginal knowledge is transmitted verbally, rather than
being recorded in scientific articles and books. This is very different from what students in the
western educational system are trained to believe. As a result, schools are suspicious about this
local traditional knowledge (Marker, 2006, p. 501). While educators are trying to find ways to
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make the curriculum relate to students, it is important to recognize the importance of traditional
knowledge, and the connections people must establish to their own community. By
implementing the indigenous wisdom of tradition, spirituality and connectedness in our math and
science classroom, we can provide a more intimate and practical educational experience for
students.
Western science compartmentalizes knowledge (Kawagley & Barnhardt, 1998), and this
is evident in how our science curriculum is separated into chemistry, biology and physics. From
my personal experience, I did not realize how biology is closely associated with chemistry and
physics until I was in university. This understanding should be taught to students at a much
younger age. In contrast, the aboriginal peoples knowledge is largely based on their direct
experience in nature, and they see all concepts holistically and in the context of survival
(Kawagley & Barnhardt, 1998). One of the problems with the western science education is that
most of our students are not concerned with surviving. Our lifestyle is very different from the
aboriginals due to urbanization and colonization, and this has distanced us from our connections
to nature. As a result, what happens in the community and in our nature does not seem to have
any immediate effects on our lives. Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) has been
established from the thousands of years of human interactions with the environment (Berkes,
2003, as cited in Van Eijck & Roth, 2007, p. 928). Much of the knowledge is been transmitted
through storytelling and oral language, rather than through scientific articles and books (Van
Eijck & Roth, 2007, p. 928). Traditional ecological knowledge is very valuable as it is based on
experiences and the observation of patterns for the past hundreds of years. Rather than teaching
our students to gather data and numbers, we need to teach them to be more observant of nature
and patterns. Educators should provide students with opportunities for local field trips and
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scientific activities that take place in nature. The curriculum becomes alive when students see it
in a local context, rather than just writing down notes and looking up information on the Internet.
Much of science is based on truth and facts. Some universalists believe that scientific
knowledge is superior to local knowledge (Van Eijck & Roth, 2007, p. 940). They even argue
that scientists are more interested in producing global knowledge rather than local knowledge
because this can be applied to more contexts (Van Eijck & Roth, 2007, p. 940). We live in a
world where efficiency is valued. In Kawagley and Barnhardts article, they described crosscultural course for educators at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. There was an occasion when
the Nenana community had a meeting with a group of scientists from the government. After
several unsuccessful interactions that led to increasing frustration, an elder finally told the
scientists you are talking about thirty years. Our record goes back three hundred years. We
know how many pike were around three hundred years ago, and how many it took to feed our
families and dogs (Kawagley and Barnhardt, 1998). The meeting described in the article is one
of the most shocking and inspiriting passages Ive read in this course. In todays society, we are
very used to access information and make decisions quickly. However, many of the
environmental problems that we see today cannot be simply solved by a team of scientists who
base their decisions on facts and numbers collected over a limited amount of time. The
interactions between the nature, animals, as well as people must be taken into account.
Traditional knowledge is very important in this regard as it provides scientists with information
on the intricate relationships between each member of an ecological community. Aikenhead
proposes a cross-cultural approach when teaching science (2001, as cited in Devi Appanna,
2011, p. 20). He believes that western science has become a culture itself, and teachers need to
assess students own cultural borders and help them to cross these borders (Aikehead, cited in
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Devi Apana, 2011, p.20). In the B.C. Science 10 curriculum, one of the prescribed learning
outcomes is explain the interaction of abiotic and biotic factors with in ecosystem (B.C.
Ministry of Education, 2008). The teachers can ask students to talk to experts in their
community to learn about the local environmental issues and problems. Students can then
research about the interactions between the abiotic and biotic factors, and come up with possible
solutions to these problems. This is an excellent opportunity to encourage students to integrate
their prior scientific knowledge, and apply this in a local setting. Shamah & MacTavish point
out that school curriculum generally encourages students to study faraway places such as South
American Rainforests and African deserts without reference to local places and knowledge
(2009, p.2). This is a result of our emphasis on globalization and we believe we are cultivating
global citizens this way. However, if we value students own knowledge and the local
knowledge, students are more likely to see the curriculum as more relevant to their lives
(Shamah & MacTavish, 2009, p. 3). Only when students have a good understanding of their own
community, can they extend this understanding to other global issues.
In the aboriginal community, young people learn from the elders and other members in
their community. In our educational system, students tend to view teacher as the source of
knowledge. Acquiring knowledge from a single person alone is insufficient because teachers are
not always the expert in every topic. To solve this problem, teacher should connect students to
other professionals in the community. This will provide students with an in-depth understanding
of a particular issue, and also develop connections to people in different fields. For example,
instead of lectures, notes, and quizzes, asking an expert on the local water shed to come in for a
talk could be more interesting and relevant to students. Field trips to local farms also help
students to learn where their food comes from, and also understand the environmental and
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economical impacts of the decisions that they make. Sutherland & Swayze distinguish the
difference between inhabitants and residents. Inhabitants have a good knowledge of the
connections to their place, and they have a genuine care for their community (Sutherland &
Swayze, 2012, p. 86). On the other hand, residents have little connection to their place and have
a little sense of gratification (Sutherland & Swayze, 2012, p.86). Teachers should cultivate
inhabitants, not residents. When there is a gratification towards nature and the local land, we
will have the initiative to protect them.
As pointed out in Sterenbergs article, many math programs in Canada are encouraging
teachers to teach the curriculum from the aboriginal perspectives (2013, p. 19). Sterenberg
defines indigenous mathematics as mathematics in a particular culture that reflects a collective
worldview. Mathematics understood in this way does not exist as a separate body of knowledge
but is integrated into a holistic worldview (2013, p. 13). One great way to implement math
from the aboriginal perspective is the use of storytelling. Math Catcher: Mathematics Through
Aboriginal Storytelling is a program sponsored by Simon Fraser University, University of
British Columbia and NSERC to help students learn how math is used in everyday life (Math
Catcher, 2015). The outreach program employs storytelling using aboriginal perspectives, as
well as hands-on activities to help students make the connections between math and everyday
life (Math Catcher, 2015). As a math teacher, I often hear students complaining to me about the
irrelevancy of the math curriculum to their lives. While doing drills and practice questions are
important to solidify mathematical concepts, it is equally important for students to see why these
materials are relevant. For example, quadratic functions is a very important topic in the B.C.
Math 11 curriculum. If a teacher can start the unit by telling a story You are a member of the
student council and you are planning a fundraising concert for your school. Currently, the ticket
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prices is set at 10 dollars each. Your school auditorium will be filled with audience when selling
tickets at this price. However, the student council is wondering if increasing ticket price will
generate bigger revenues. Based on past experiences, when the ticket price is increased by a
dollar, there will be 50 less people attending the concert. What ticket price will allow you to
generate the biggest revenue, and how much will the revenue be? When math is told using a
story in a practical setting, it will no longer be a series of formulas and numbers, but a way for
students to solve problems.
Sterenberg points out that the aboriginal people believe knowledge is a process,
not a commodity (2013, p. 20). This is a concept that should be implemented in a math
classroom. A math answer is often either right or wrong. More value should be placed on
mathematical thinking processes, rather than the right or wrong answer. When students are able
to show their mathematical thinking in a logical manner, they demonstrate their understanding
and this also allows them to go back and examine their own work. In the classroom setting,
teachers should place less emphasis on the right or wrong answer, but encourage students to
explore different ways to arrive at the answer.
Interestingly, Eglash believes that there is an absence of multiculturalism in the math and
science curriculum (1997, p. 94). He defines ethnomathematics as the study of mathematical
concepts in small-scale or indigenous cultures (1997, p. 79). Western math education is largely
based on European and Greek mathematics. We all know that other ancient cultures such as the
Chinese and Egyptians have made great mathematical discoveries, but aboriginal cultures also
have their own set of mathematical concepts. All math teachers should be required to explore
the field of ethnomathematics as a part of their teacher education, so they are aware of the
various interpretations and discoveries in other cultures.
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New insights emerge when people question their own presuppositions (Kawagley &
Barnhardt, 1998). Western science is powerful, but our students also need to know that there are
other interpretations of the world and thse are not inferior to western science. While western
science and mathematics have allowed us to make many discoveries and advancements in our
world, our emphasis on the scientific method and the compartmentalized knowledge have
disconnected us to the natural world. Teachers need to encourage students to be more observant
about nature and their local community. Students are very reliant on technology nowadays, and
this has dampened their awareness of the world. When student have a deep connection to their
niche, they will begin to see the beauty of nature and mathematics. The aboriginal peoples
traditional knowledge and their idea of homeland are very valuable to our educational system.
These perspectives help students to become responsible citizens who use their knowledge to
solve local problems, and also have a heart big enough to care for the world.

References
Eglash, R. (1997). When Math Worlds Collide: Intention and Invention in Ethnomathematics.
Science, Technology, and Human Values, 22(1), 79-97.

Gondwe, M., & Longnecker, N. (2015). Scientific and Cultural Knowledge in Intercultural
Science Education: Student Perceptions of Common Ground. Research in Science
Education, 45(1), 117-147.

Kawagley, A. O., & Barnhardt, R. (1998). Education indigenous to place: Western science
meets native reality. Fairbanks: Alaska Native Knowledge Network.

Marker, M. (2006). After the Makah Whale Hunt: Indigenous Knowledge and Limits to
Multicultural Discourse. Urban Education, 41(5), 482-505.

Math Catcher (2015). Retrieved from: http://mathcatcher.irmacs.sfu.ca/

Science Grade 10 Integrated Resource Package (2008). British Columbia Ministry of Education.
Retrieved from: https://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pdfs/sciences/2008sci_10.pdf

Sterenberg, G. (2013). Considering Indigenous Knowledges and Mathematics Curriculum.

Canadian Journal Of Science, Mathematics And Technology Education, 13(1), 18-32.

Van Eijck, M., & Roth, W. (2007). Keeping the Local Local: Recalibrating the Status of Science
and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in Education. Science Education, 91(6),
926-947.

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