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Content: Math

Candidates demonstrate and apply understandings of major mathematics concepts,

algorithms, procedures, applications and mathematical practices in varied contexts, and
connections within and among mathematical domains. (See NCTM Standards)

If there is any subject that I teach that my students are the MOST reluctant to learn, it's

math. They’re often more than okay with doing the work, passing the standards, and checking

off boxes. But as soon as I try to expand on math concepts, bring it to other subject areas,

assess their knowledge retention, or do anything “outside the box” with the subject, they act

like it’s pure torture!

The curriculum that is given by the district, despite its new upgrade this past school year,

doesn’t make appealing to students any easier. Most curriculum materials purchased for

district-wide use are one-size-fits-all, and are created in states with larger, more diverse

demographics/ populations. Thus, the Everyday Math and Reveal Math curriculums we are

strongly encouraged to use don't always fit my students. My students have lived in Alaska their

entire lives, spending a drastic majority of that time in a village of 11 sq. miles. Very few, if any,

of the kids in my school (or in the district) have the background knowledge of real-world

connections that the textbook company tries to make, because the books are not catered to the

settings of a village.

One example that I’ve shared multiple times was that I was once teaching my student

about measurements, distance, and conversions. The student book at the time had a word

problem in a city setting, where they were measuring sidewalk distances, including the curb

measurements. This, to me, was as simple as tying a shoe. It took nearly a week, however, to

realize that my student was struggling with a simple word problem because the student had no
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idea what a curb was. They had only been in a real town/ city as a child, and have otherwise

lived in a village with sandy gravel roads their entire lives. When I finally explained and showed

a visual, my student understood the problem and what math concept to apply almost

immediately.

Culture and personal connections are fundamental in students understanding and

applying math concepts. “Simeonov (2016, pp. 442-443) pointed out that most students

memorize their mathematics without meaningfully understanding the content when they are

pressured to master a “foreign” Plato-based abstract mathematics course” (Meyer & Aikenhead,

2021, p. 105). As such, I found and introduced a traditional bone game that students- ideally 3rd

to 5th grade- could play. The bone game is a traditional counting and adding game played by

Blackfoot children. Originally, the game would have been played with carved bones from the

ribs of bison. In today’s classroom, it can be used for practice with mental math, addition,

probability, patterns, data management, and more.

However, simply adding a game into western curriculum is not enough for students to

make a connection to the content. Meyer and Aikenhead (2021) wrote:

The physical presence of an Indigenous game, painting, story, or activity, is a

good first step in planning an Indigenous culture-based mathematics lesson. But

it falls seriously short if students either: (a) fail to see it as an authentic window

into an Indigenous worldview, or (b) fail to understand how it is connected to

Western mathematics. (p. 121)

In other words, students need to connect the lesson to both their indigenous culture, and

articulate that connection to Western mathematics. Lessons that go beyond simple cultural
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inclusion actually support the five process standards created by the National Council of Teachers

of Mathematics (NCTM). These standards- ​problem solving, reasoning and proof,

communication, connections, and representation- describe the expectations for teachers and

students in mathematics.

Building on those five process standards, I also implemented weekly research questions.

For consistency, and an attempt to ease anxiety in math, all the research pages are the same

formatting. But each is a different, open-ended set of three questions. I give my students all

week to work on them. If they finish early, I build on the theme, to make the research more

interdisciplinary. The example above, #4, connected to their social studies standards about

historical figures and ancient cultures, as well as employability standards with researching local

or non-local jobs. Students might write an opinion piece on that job, after having researched it,

find more information on the salaries, or even find budget information to determine if they

could live off that job’s income. Each extension to the research is different, depending on the

week’s theme.

As mentioned with the bone game, math skills can be taught through so many different

games. My students’ favorite games are Battleship and Yahtzee. Battleship has taught even my

youngest student about the X and Y axis. I extend the game, and compromise their playing

during class, but asking them to either create an x/y table and/ or create coordinate points of

each of their opponents ships. Yahtzee is another popular math concept game, dealing with

probability, chances, addition, and multiplication. In a study conducted by Leanne Elliott,

Heather J. Bachman, and Daphne A. Henry (2020), researchers examined parental

characteristics that related to children’s early math learning. When a young child expressed
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interest in playing Yahtzee, their “parent was not particularly interested in exposing her children

to more complex math concepts by playing the game, but her children did in fact learn math

skills in the process of playing” (p. 123). That parent, as well as others in the study, would

intentionally play board games as specific learning opportunities.

Other practices used reported by Elliot, Bachman, and Henry (2020) included “learning

apps; playing with blocks, Legos, or puzzles; having conversations about numbers; cooking or

baking; counting; playing board games or card games; measurement or timing activities;

shopping or talking about money; watching educational TV shows; and completing worksheets

or using flashcards” (p. 122). Board games were expressed as being used more than any other

activity, from “by 13 of the 15 parents” (p. 122). In essence, board/ card/ dice games as math

enrichment activities are known to be utilized often.

In the end, it’s my goal as a math teacher to not only encourage students’ understanding

of math concepts and principles (like problem solving, reasoning, etc.), but to also strengthen

students’ confidence in their work and their connections between indigenous and western

mathematics. “Culturally responsive pedagogies have the potential to reconnect histories and

knowledge to place, and to open discussions that challenge the view there is only one way to

know the world mathematically” (Nicol, 2020, p. 260)

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References

Elliott, L., Bachman, H. J., & Henry, D. A. (2020). Why and how parents promote math learning

with their young children: A mixed-methods investigation. Parenting: Science & Practice,

20(2), 108–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2019.1694830

Meyer, S., & Aikenhead, G. (2021). Indigenous culture-based school mathematics in action: Part

I: Professional development for creating teaching materials. Mathematics Enthusiast,

18(1&2), 100–118.

https://education.usask.ca/documents/profiles/aikenhead/indigenous-culture-based-sc

h-math-in-action-part-i---prof-development.pdf

Meyer, S., & Aikenhead, G. (2021). Indigenous culture-based school mathematics in action part

II: The study’s results: What support do teachers need?. Mathematics Enthusiast,

18(1&2), 119-138.

https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1517&context=tme

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (n.d.). Standards and positions: Process. National

Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

https://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/Principles-and-Standards/Process/

Nicol, C, et al. (2020). Living culturally responsive mathematics education within indigenous

communities. Brill.