Chapter 8: Indigineous, Personal And Western Mathematics: Learning from Place

In Canada, Aboriginal¹ postsecondary enrolment and completion rates are significantly lower than those of non-Aboriginals (Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation, 2004; Mendelson, 2006). This is most evident in disciplines involving science and mathematics (Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 2005). Moreover, Aboriginal student achievement in K–Grade 12 mathematics courses is significantly lower than those of non-Aboriginal students (Neel, 2007). In the contemporary Canadian context of low Aboriginal participation and completion rates in postsecondary studies of mathematics, it is important to provide Aboriginal students with experiences of mathematics that foster their interest and ability in the early stages of their schooling (Bourke, Burden, & Moore, 1996; Council of Ministers of Education, 2002).