Ethnomathematics in Ethiopia: Futile or Fertile for Mathematics Education?

Weldeana, Hailu Nigus

doi:10.4314/mejs.v8i2.4

Cited by 13 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Similarly, the ZIMSEC mathematics syllabus recommends bridging the gap between the mathematics taught in schools and the learners' worlds, through using their everyday experiences, cultural backgrounds and the surrounding environment (ZIMSEC, 2015). This idea concurs with recommendations from various scholars that when learners become conscious of the connection between what they learn and their everyday experiences, they are likely to be motivated to learn mathematics, which could stimulate and sustain learners' interest as well as improving their performance (Madusise, 2015;Rosa & Orey, 2013;Sunzuma & Maharaj, 2019;Weldeana, 2016). The integration of ethnomathematics approaches into the teaching of mathematics has several benefits such as active participation of learners, practical oriented and application of acquired knowledge to real-life situations as well as enhancing learners' conceptual understanding (Sunzuma & Maharaj, 2019;Weldeana, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 83%

“…According to Rosa (2011), ethnomathematics is all the forms of mathematics that vary as a consequence of being embedded in cultural activities. Everyday activities which included building houses, exchanging money, weighing products and calculating proportions for a recipe involving numbers, calculations and precise geometry patterns are all ethnomathematics (Weldeana, 2016;Umbara et al, 2021). Ethnomathematics is a cluster of ideas concerning the history of mathematics, the cultural roots of mathematics, implicit mathematics in everyday settings, and mathematics education (Weldeana, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 2009, Orey and Rosa noted that ethnomathematics enables scholars to examine what and how we teach mathematics in the context of the school, culture and society. Culture and school mathematics are widely related (Weldeana, 2016). The teaching and learning of consumer arithmetic can be influenced by the learners' cultural, environmental backgrounds and experiences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Ethnomathematics and Traditional Lecture Approaches in Teaching Consumer Arithmetic: Learners’ Achievement and Teachers’ Views

et al. 2021

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Past studies revealed that the integration of ethnomathematics approaches is of great importance in the teaching and learning of mathematics as it is believed to improve learners' understanding and achievement in mathematics. Cognisant of the benefits of using ethnomathematics approaches in teaching and learning mathematics, the Zimbabwean school syllabus recommends the adoption and integration of ethnomathematics approaches to improve the learners' performance. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to determine the comparative effectiveness of ethnomathematics approaches and the traditional lecture approaches as well as teachers' views on the use of ethnomathematics approaches. The study sample comprised 90 learners and two teachers from one secondary school in Bindura district in Zimbabwe. Two instruments, a test and interviews were used for data collection. The participating teachers taught the concepts of consumer arithmetic for four weeks. Findings of the study showed that learners taught using an ethnomathematics approach achieved significantly higher in the test than those taught consumer arithmetic using the traditional approach. The study revealed that teachers appreciated the use of ethnomathematics approaches in the teaching of consumer arithmetic as their learners were motivated, actively involved and interested in learning the concepts. It was also reported that ethnomathematics approaches improve learners' understanding and retention of arithmetic concepts. The study, therefore, recommended training of the teachers on the use of the ethnomathematics approach in the teaching and learning of consumer arithmetic.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Ethnomathematics and Traditional Lecture Approaches in Teaching Consumer Arithmetic: Learners’ Achievement and Teachers’ Views

et al. 2021

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“…Learning mathematics with culture is very helpful for students in understanding mathematical concepts in elementary schools (Supriadi, 2019). In addition, students' cultural backgrounds have contributed to effective and meaningful learning (Weldeana, 2016). It can also be designed to be an authentic (real) task so that students can not only solve mathematical problems but also understand their application (Dickman, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethnomathematics: Musical Instrumen in Ja'i Dances for Culturally Responsive Teaching in Elementary Schools

Bito

Fredy

2020

pej

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In cultural responsive learning, teachers need to have the ability to explore mathematical phenomena in cultural elements as learning content. This research is a qualitative descriptive study aimed at exploring ethnomathematics in Bajawa traditional dances, namely the Ja,i dance, its relevance to competency standards and basic mathematics competencies in elementary schools. The approach used is ethnographic. The technique used is observation and study of documents and the researcher himself acts as the main instrument. Observations were made on the accompanying music devices contained mathematical concepts. Furthermore, researchers compare with the basic competencies of elementary school mathematics. The results showed mathematical material was found in the musical instrument section of Ja,i dance. The surface of the gong and the drum (gendang) are circular, the body of the large drum is frustum of a cone, and the gendang laba kagu, laba bhuga and gong are tube-shaped. In the middle of the gong there is a kind of lump which is shaped like a half ball. The implementation of this research can be applied in cultural responsive learning in elementary schools.Keywords: ethnomathematics, learning, cultural responsive, jai,i dance

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“…Emotional intelligence includes the affective domain of role-players, who are not only limited to teachers, lecturers, tutors, learners, and community members. Emotional intelligence allows various role-players to relate with one another, such that their thoughts and feelings are well harnessed in creating new mathematical knowledge, unlike the social injustices and ills that objectify participants in the teaching and learning of mathematical content knowledge (Weldeana, 2016). Again, considering inspired and physical intelligences, Oosthuizen (2016), argues that it deals with how those around us and the physical environment motivate each one of the role-players to realise a common goal.…”

Section: Pertinent Literature On Mathematics For Social Justice In 4irmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reimagining the Sustainable and Social Justice Mathematics Classrooms in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Moloi

Matabane²

2020

IJLTER

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In this conceptual paper, we provide some ways to think about sustainability and a social justice approach to teaching of mathematics in Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) classrooms. We imagine the mathematics classrooms in 4IR not only to provide sustainable education, but also to promote core values and qualities of social justice. The teaching of mathematics for social justice is a pedagogy that seeks to expose students to issues concerning power between social groups. It is an approach to teaching that seeks to enable students not only to maintain the status quo, but also to acquire the necessary skills to challenge current practices and offer alternatives. While there is an increasing emphasis on incorporating technology into the teaching and learning of mathematics to produce educated citizenry that will be able to function in 4IR, it is equally important that one guards against unintended consequences brought about by 4IR and not deny access to learners from a low socio-economic environment. Using critical discourse analysis, the paper argues that, as we usher 4IR into the mathematics classroom, one should also be mindful of the social skills that constitute humankind. Social skills and human capital are good foundations for understanding mathematical concepts, and critical skills need to operate effectively and productively in 4IR. Moreover, social skills such as persuasion and emotional intelligence are in higher demand across industries and in education sectors than narrow technical skills, which include, among others, programming or equipment operation and control.

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Ethnomathematics in Ethiopia: Futile or Fertile for Mathematics Education?

Cited by 13 publications

References 10 publications

A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Ethnomathematics and Traditional Lecture Approaches in Teaching Consumer Arithmetic: Learners’ Achievement and Teachers’ Views

A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Ethnomathematics and Traditional Lecture Approaches in Teaching Consumer Arithmetic: Learners’ Achievement and Teachers’ Views

Ethnomathematics: Musical Instrumen in Ja'i Dances for Culturally Responsive Teaching in Elementary Schools

Reimagining the Sustainable and Social Justice Mathematics Classrooms in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

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