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Abstract
I (first author) explore tensions that arose with Cree elementary school teachers during mathematics class when I attempted to generalize Cree words they were teaching me and their students. Generalization is a process in the mathematics discipline that practitioners use to create such things as theorems and formulas. For example, this might be achieved by generalizing patterns amongst specific things. While this is a conventional practice in the discipline, my imposition of generalization does not align with the Cree perspectives these teachers were representing, and disrupted the sharing of their experiences. By inquiring narratively into my experiences and the experiences of these teachers, I explain how a mis-educative teaching moment on my part led to an educative experience.
Resume
Dans cet article j'explore (moi, le premier auteur) des tensions qui se sont manifestées avec des maítres d'école élémentaire cris pendant un cours de mathématiques quand j'ai tenté de generaliser des mots cris qu'ils m'enseignaient â moi et å leurs eleves. La generalisation est un processus, en mathématiques, dont on se sert afin de créer théorěmes et formules. Ainsi, on pourrait ce faire en généralisant des régularités dans des dioses spécifiques. S'il s'agit lå d'un procede courant dans le domaine, cette façon de faire ne s'aligne pas avec les perspectives des cris que représentaient ces enseignants, et a bousculé le partage de leurs experiences de vie. En m'interrogeant de pres sur mes experiences de vie comme sur les leurs, j'explique comment un faux pas pédagogique de ma part a eu pour consequence un apprentissage nouveau.
Introduction
It was 'math day with Stavros'. Miss Moore (pseudonym) and I (first author, Stavros) were co-teaching the lesson, as we normally do. Today, I was playing the role of an inquisitive student who wanted to learn translations of mathematics terms from English to Cree. Miss Moore patiently taught me and her sixth grade class the words she knew. "Mswaw means two times, nistwnw means three times, and nēumv means four times". She explained that this is how you talk about doubling, tripling, and quadrupling the quantity of something. As she wrote 2x, 3x, 4x on the board I raised my hand and asked, "What comes after nēwāw? Since five is niyanan, then based on that pattern, wouldn't five...