Dissolving Dual Isms

8/14/2019 Dissolving Dual Isms

1/24

Dissolving Dualisms?Combining Lived Reality

and Fictive Imagination

Bal Chandra Luitel

Presented at 31/ March/2008


2/24

2

My doctoral research

Title: Culture, Worldview and Transformative Philosophyof Mathematics Teacher Education in Nepal: ACultural-Philosophical Inquiry

Inquiry Agendas

In what ways are the Western Modern Worldviewand Nepali Worldview similar and different in

terms of their epistemologies and ontologies? In what ways can wisdom traditions of the East

(e.g. Hinduism and Buddhism) contribute to thedevelopment of an alternative philosophy of

mathematics teacher education in Nepal? How can mathematical knowledge for teacher

education in Nepal be made holistic, ecologicallybalanced and discursive?

What can a transformative philosophy of


3/24

3

My doctoral research

ResearchParadigms:

Critical, Post-modern Integral

Methodology:Arts-based


4/24

Research questions addressed bythis chapter

Which philosophies have beengoverning the existing

Mathematics Teacher Educationprograms in Nepal?

In what ways can non-dual traditions of theEast (Vedanta and Buddhism) contribute tothe development of an alternativephilosophy of mathematics teachereducation in Nepal?


5/24


6/24

Chapter outline

Capturing a Moment with Mr. Stiff Prelude to Dualism: Meanings,

Sources and Impacts

Enter Mr. Stiffs Sacred Diary Page Imagining Lives Under Dualism: A

Lineland Metaphor Stuff Them Insofar As You Can

Resolving and Dissolving Dualisms:Thinking in-between and Beyond

A Way Forward


7/24

What is Dualism?

Literally speaking,dualism is thetendency to classifyconcepts,

statements andevents according toduals, as belongingto only one of twoall-encompassing,mutually-exclusivecategories withessentially fixed

1 a,b, c ,x, 2y, z Versu


8/24

Poetically and metaphorically

a day without nighta life without plightimposed categories

replacing life

imprisoning living byrestrictions

ideas restrainingopenness andcreativity

despising presentmoments

dualism asexclusion, fracturing and

linearity


9/24

Sources of dualism

Platos form versusForm

Cartesian Dualism Western Modern

Worldview (aparadigmatic view ofthe world promotedby scientism thatespouses nave

realism as itsontology andpositivism as itsepistemology)

the longstandingsocial hierarchybased on caste,gender, region and

ethnicitycontributing tounhelpful dualisms,such as superiorverses inferior, maleversus female, adultversus young, andmanager versusmanaged (Pradhan,Shrestha, & Mission,


10/24

unhelpful dualisms

Content versusPedagogy :foundationlist legacythat content (subjectmatter) is deemed to be

superior to pedagogy Pure mathematics

versus impuremathematics: arisingfrom the onedimensional view of the

nature ofmathematicsas a body of pureknowledge, therebylabelling the impureforms of mathematics

No


11/24

Teaching versuslearning: (i) arisingfrom behaviouristand cognitivist

traditions; and (ii)being generated viathe literalinterpretation of ourcultural traditionsthat teaching andlearning entail


12/24

a lineland metaphor

The humble square, acharacter of aVictorian-time novel,Flatland (Abbott &Hoffman, 1952), finds

in the king oflineland who doesntreally know how tooperate within theflatlandbecause of its

two-dimensionality,which is drastically

The term linelandcan be a metaphor forthe prevailing one-dimensionality that is

embraced by adualistic worldview. Asthe image of linelandcomes to my mind, Ivisualize humans (and


13/24

Lives under three dualisms

Students as not-known recipients:doing mathematicsas following thedictation of the

teacher(contentversus pedagogy),

justification of puremathematics in theschool curriculum

via

Teachers as PeripheralAuthority: thedominant image ofcurriculum as subjectmattermaking

teachers run througha line(land) of subjectmatter without givingdue emphasis tostudent participation

win-lose approach asthe dominant way ofenacting themathematicscurriculum, meaningthat if teachers get


14/24

Two years ago, Kamala raised a question

Sir, Why should we study algebraicfactorisation?

The teacher plays the same old tape

It is useful for your future life

Last year, Kamala raised a similarquestion

Sir, where can I use the geometric proof inmy life?

The teacher opened his old notebook andread loudly

It wont help you now but will certainly helpyou in the future

This year Kamala raises yet anotherquestion

How can I use coordinate geometry in mylife?

The teacher replays his infamous answer

I dont know that but it surely helps in your

After six years, Kamala will raise thesame old question

Professor, what is the usefulness ofmathematics in my present life?

The professor opens his lecture notesand writes on the tatteredchalkboard

I dont know about its use in yourpresent life

But it is surely useful for your futurelife

***

Ms. Kamala, why should I studymathematics?

A talkative student asks bluntlyBecause it is useful for your future

life!

Ms Kamala re-produces the sameanswer

that has grown up with her!


15/24

Teacher educators asreproducers of status-quo: promotingcurriculum as subjectmatter by ignoring the

agentive dimensionssuch as curriculum ascurrere and culturalreconstruction,subscribing to the viewthat mathematics hadnothing to do withqualitative, cultural,social, political and

Embracing a fixed notionof identity as a teachereducator, therebyresisting the urge forcritical reflection upon

his/her disempoweringvalues and assumptions.

Why do I need tolearn because I am

a teacher? banking concept ofeducation


16/24

Resolving and DissolvingDualisms: envisioning in-between

The third spacemetaphor:The thirdspace of enunciation,popularly known as

hybrid space (Bhabha,1994), appears to bean empowering criticalcultural construct foraddressing dualisms

arising mainly fromthe Western ModernWorldview that isembedded in schoolmathematics curricula

The dissolutionmetaphor:

Vedic perspective ofdissolution

Notion of dissolutionfrom Chemistry

Dissolution from theviewpoints ofPostmodernism andIntegralism


17/24

day with a good dream

like swimming in a clean stream

like flying in a clear skylike climbing a big tree

like becoming totally free

rom sorrows and pains

like marching toward mountains

like meeting someone who inspires

like watching doves making a nest

A day with a good dream

ossibly helps keep going

ossibly gives some clues

ossibly offers some directions

ossibly opens some new perspectives

A day with a good dream


18/24

The third space metaphor

third space asdialecticalmovements

third space as

aspiration third space as

interdependentmode of thinking

Third space asoperating withinand beyond thenotion of unity

Where is subjectmatter that is freefrom pedagogy (ormethod or

methodology orepistemology) andvice versa?

Where is purity that

is free from impurityand vice versa?


19/24

(a) I am a teachereducator(b) I am not a

teachereducator

(c) I am a teachereducator andnot a teachereducator

(d) I am neither a

teacher

The moment I am free to shareThe day I am released to wanderThe week I am allowed to speakThe month I am open to my heartThe year I embark on searchingThe decade I hear you telling

I will be no more a teacher

who pretends to be a knowerof all secrecies of what I teachof all mysteries of what I beholdof my life which I dont know a clue yetThen who will I be?

Perhaps a person who just tries tobe?


20/24

The dissolution metaphor

Vedic tradition:dissolutionbecoming

inevitable for theCosmic Creatorwhen the existingframework turns

out to be incapable


21/24

Scientificdisciplinaryperspective:dissolvingas finding

a solutionanddissolving


22/24

Postmodernism:dissolving oldquestions of

education;Integralism:dissolution offractures and

demarcationssustaineddialogues between

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Dissolution-of-Hell-


23/24

Thinking aboutmathematics educationin contextualisedterms, that is, theexisting cultural, socialand lingual diversity ofNepal.

Shifting the focus ofthe mathematics

Rather than exclusivelyusing the mind

(buddhi, intellect,logic) RamanaMaharshis call foropening ones ownheart (hridaya: thecentre of body-mind,

empathy andmindfulness) is usefulfor me to come out ofthe limited identity


24/24

andWhen will they enter in maths class?The petals of marigoldThe banquet of rhododendronThe collection of pippal (fig) tree leafsThe fractal of Bodhi treeWhen will they enter in maths class?When will they enter in maths class?The map of my village settlements

The matrix of my mothers work scheduleThe method of my fathers problem solvingThepattern of land distribution in myvillageWhen will they enter in maths class?When will they enter in maths class?

The algebra of my family genealogyThe geometry of wicker basketsThe arithmetic of local harvestsThe statistics of my village budgetWhen will they enter in maths class?

ctivity makes sense ofpassivity

Passivity gives rise toactivityWhere is passivity withoutactivity?How can I see activity

without passivity?day constitutes dawn

and darkdark can be a source of

spark

Where is puritythat does not arise fromimpurity?Where is impuritythat doesnt show us

Documents

Dissolving Dual Isms