The marginalisation of Indigenous students within school mathematics and the math wars: seeking resolutions within ethical spaces

An exploration of ako-rich teaching practices in an English-medium mathematics classroom drawing from the voices of Year 9 and 10 students, and their parents

“…Much has been written of the persistent 'achievement gap' reported between Māori and Pākeha students in New Zealand (Bishop & Glynn, 1999). Similarly, much has also been written about the gap that has persistently been observed in education in the United States, between African-American, Latino, and Indigenous Native American students and white American students (Flores, 2007;Ladson-Billings, 2006 and other contexts where Indigenous learners are marginalised in an education system where teachers and students are often culturally mismatched (such as the Canadian and Australian education systems) (Dreise & Thomson, 2014;Russell & Chernoff, 2013).…”

“…The disparity in achievement based on traditional measures (such as teacher questioning of students and formal written assessment) has been attributed to the production and use of mathematics by Indigenous peoples in an unfamiliar way to the Eurocentric viewpoint (that is, when there is cultural mismatch) rather than to any lack of mathematical ability (Russell & Chernoff, 2013). A lack of ability (or participation) in a 'one-size-fits-all' approach may be attributed to Indigenous learners by non-Indigenous educators through application of deficit theorising: "when equality of opportunities is available, students are seen as being at fault for failing to make the most of these opportunities" (Meaney et al, 2013, p. 236).…”

“…This type of deficit theorising has endured in New Zealand, and moreover has been used to justify the assimilation of Indigenous peoples worldwide into the dominant culture's way of education 'for their own good'. This attitude is still held by some educators, despite Indigenous peoples having longstanding ways to "express the exchange, sharing, transmission, building and creation of knowledge" (Edwards, 2013, p. 70), including that involved in displaying the knowledge of complex mathematics (Meaney et al, 2013;Russell & Chernoff, 2013;Walshaw & Anthony, 2008) Bishop & Glynn, 1999). Teachers operate in a complex set of influences that the prevailing systems exert on their teaching, therefore exploration of how teachers operate around these influences that may or may not be beneficial for Indigenous students, is valuable.…”

An exploration of ako-rich teaching practices in an English-medium mathematics classroom drawing from the voices of Year 9 and 10 students, and their parents

“…Much has been written of the persistent 'achievement gap' reported between Māori and Pākeha students in New Zealand (Bishop & Glynn, 1999). Similarly, much has also been written about the gap that has persistently been observed in education in the United States, between African-American, Latino, and Indigenous Native American students and white American students (Flores, 2007;Ladson-Billings, 2006 and other contexts where Indigenous learners are marginalised in an education system where teachers and students are often culturally mismatched (such as the Canadian and Australian education systems) (Dreise & Thomson, 2014;Russell & Chernoff, 2013).…”

“…The disparity in achievement based on traditional measures (such as teacher questioning of students and formal written assessment) has been attributed to the production and use of mathematics by Indigenous peoples in an unfamiliar way to the Eurocentric viewpoint (that is, when there is cultural mismatch) rather than to any lack of mathematical ability (Russell & Chernoff, 2013). A lack of ability (or participation) in a 'one-size-fits-all' approach may be attributed to Indigenous learners by non-Indigenous educators through application of deficit theorising: "when equality of opportunities is available, students are seen as being at fault for failing to make the most of these opportunities" (Meaney et al, 2013, p. 236).…”