Teacher-related Challenges Affecting the Integration of Ethnomathematics Approaches into the Teaching of Geometry

Abstract

Geometry and culture are interrelated, making school geometry closely connected to the environment as well as culture in which it is taught. With regard to this connectedness, the Zimbabwean mathematics syllabus indicates that geometry should be connected to the learners' environment and culture. This article explores teacherrelated challenges to the integration of ethnomathematics approaches into the teaching of geometry. Findings are based on feedback received from questionnaires and focus-group discussions in which 40 in-service mathematics teachers expressed their views on the challenges that affect the integration of ethnomathematics approaches into the teaching of geometry. Major challenges included lack of knowledge on ethnomathematics approaches and how to integrate these approaches into the teaching of geometry; teachers' lack of geometry content knowledge, teachers' views of geometry taught in schools, teachers' competence in teaching geometry, teaching and professional experience as well as resistance to change by teachers. The study recommends that teacher training institutions need to redesign their curricula to include ethnomathematics approaches and that there is need for in-service training on ethnomathematics approaches.

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

“…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).…”

“…Therefore, this study attempts to give additional substance to the discussion through gathering both qualitative data from interviews and quantitative data from tests, given that the mathematics syllabus recommends the use of the learners' cultural, everyday life experiences and the immediate environment in the teaching of mathematics. The study sought to address whether ethnomathematics approaches would result in better achievement as compared to the traditional lecture approaches, defined in this study as the habitual methods of teaching mathematics since various researchers have associated the difficulty of learning certain mathematics topics with inappropriate teaching approaches (Harbor-Peters, 2001;Mashingaidze, 2012;Sunzuma & Maharaj, 2019;Telima, 2011). The questions addressed in this study are:…”

“…One of such factors is the teachers' use of inappropriate teaching approaches (Harbor-Peters, 2001;Mashingaidze, 2012). In Zimbabwe, Sunzuma and Maharaj (2019) blamed the poor performance in mathematics on the traditional approaches used by the teachers. One of the concerns of overreliance on traditional approaches to teaching mathematics is the superficial lack of basic mathematical philosophies which leads to rote-learning and low performance in mathematics as observed in Zimbabwe (Sunzuma et al, 2012).…”

Indigenising Mathematics in Schools: Why Ethnomathematics Matters

“…Ethnomathematics has been necessitated by the existence of classrooms that embrace ethnical, linguistic, gender, social and cultural diversity (Francois, 2009). Sunzuma and Maharaj (2019) point out that geometry and culture are interrelated, and this makes school geometry linked to environment as well as culture in which it is taught. In fact, Sunzuma and Maharaj claim that teachers should not avoid geometry and that learners perform badly in mathematics because teachers have a lack of content knowledge.…”

“…Yet, it is not always easy for teachers to incorporate ethnomathematics in their classrooms for several reasons. Sunzuma and Maharaj (2019) discovered in their study that there were major challenges that teachers encountered as they tried to teach geometry elements using ethnomathematics. The challenge teachers encountered included the following: lack of knowledge on ethnomathematics, approaches and how to integrate these approaches into the teaching of geometry; teachers' views of geometry taught in schools; teachers' competence in teaching geometry; teaching and professional experience; as well as resistance by teachers (Sunzuma & Maharaj, 2019:1).…”