Grasping the Concept: Ethnomathematics and what it means for teachers

D'Ambrosio (2010) writes that ethnomathematics is the relationship between culture and mathematics. He also reminds us that culture incorporates everything from language, food, tradition, values and beliefs. So links between mathematics and any one of these personal traits can be classed as ethnomatematics. As culture is not usually taught or even mentioned in a maths class it is hard to make these connections let alone to even think about teaching them. A quote I found interesting and somewhat helpful in how these links can be made was further along in the D'Ambrosso (2010) reading, he said that: "Ethnomathatics encourages us to witness and struggle to understand how mathematics continues to be culturally adapted and used by people around the planet throughout time“. He encourages us to see how maths is and has been used and changed throughout time among people all over the world. This means in different countries as well as different fields of word, but it was his use of the word struggle that astounded me....is it really hard or are there so many ways he is encouraging us to look and think deeper??

In a classroom I would have likely found some distant or ancient form of culture as a way of exposing students to multicultural maths. However D'Ambrosio (2010) informs us that this is a waste of time and that teachers should instead be helping students to develop a greater respect for those around them and not just themselves and their beliefs. He states that teachers can help students to do this by acknowledging the importance of culture to children and how it affects the way they think and learn. Culture and its influences must be valued - in every and all areas. Students lack deep understanding when maths procedures are rote learnt. If they can make connections to them and link the maths to their personal lives, it is then that a development in their mathematical thinking and understandings happens. Lastly D'Ambrosio informs us that children should be made aware of the meaningful ways cultures all over the world have contributed to maths as we know it today. This helps them realize that everyone, including themselves are connected to the history and they too have the capabilities.

To sum up there are two big ideas I got from the D'Ambrosio (2010) reading:

1 – Teachers should be encouraging their students to use their culture to connect themselves to maths -through their unique ways of thinking, language, believes, values, and experiences. This allows students to understand it on a deeper level, providing the opportunity for them to not only retain the information but to connect, understand and take ownership of what they are learning and how to use the information in their lives.

2 – Teachers need to empower their students with the knowledge that they are an important part of shaping maths development. They can do this partly by showing students that many cultures have contributed to big maths discoveries and inventions that has developed maths as we know it today. Everyone is connected to this and should be proud of their culture and what it has offered maths over history.

Maybe its all about making a personal connection with maths in our own lives and as a teacher enlightening and valuing that of our students.....

References:

D’Ambrosio. (2001) What is ethnomathmatics, and how can it help children in schools? Teaching Mathematics. 7(6) 308-310. Retrieved form http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.cdu.edu.au/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=ntu&id=GALE|A70651548&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&userGroup=ntu&authCount=1