ETHNOMATHEMATICS

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ETHNOMATHEMATICS

• Alysia King and Lauri Stehly
• PRIME Workshop, 2005

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Background

• 1960s
• Given its name by Ubiratan DAmbrosio in 1985
• NCTM Math Goal
• Apply math thinking to problems in other areas
  understand the role of math in society
  understand contributions of various cultures to
  math advancement

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Five Dimensions of Multicultural Education

• Content Integration
• Discuss contributions of mathematicians from
  different ethnic groups
• Histories of Mathematical Concepts
• Knowledge Construction
• Some universals
• Different cultural views of aspects of math
• Prejudice Reduction
• Empowering School Culture and Social Structures

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One Definition

• The study of mathematical practices of specific
  cultural groups in the course of dealing with
  their environmental problems and activities
• Basketball Players vs. Truck Drivers
• Estimation of Angles and Distances

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Break It Down

• ethno
• Identifiable cultural groups (tribal-societies,
  labor groups, children of certain ages,
  professional classes, SES)includes ideologies,
  language, daily practices, ways of reasoning and
  inferring
• mathema
• To explain, understand and manage reality
  specifically by ciphering, counting, measuring,
  classifying, ordering, inferring, and modeling
  patterns in the environment
• tics
• The art or technique

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Does everybody agree with Ethnomathematics?

• NO
• Teaches Social Studies more than real
  mathematics
• Primitive

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Then What is the Point?

• Consider your student population.
• How many different ethnicities are represented in
  your classroom?
• Do all of your students learn in the same way?
• Are your students culturally sensitive?
• Traditional Math does not meet the needs of all
  people.
• Traditional Math may not have meaning for all
  cultures.

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Why Does Ethnomathematics Count?

• Anybody can count, but
• where did the idea of counting come from?

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Using Ethnomathematics in Your Classroom

PATTERNS
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Hair Braids and Tessellations

• What is a tessellation?
• The filling of a two dimensional space with
  copies of a figure that do not overlap.
• Regular polygons that tessellate
• Hexagon
• Square
• Equilateral Triangle

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• Box hair braids are modeled after the
  tessellating squares
• Triangular hair braids are modeled after the
  tessellating triangles

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Classroom Activities

• Draw tessellations using different fundamental
  shapes of squares and rectangles
• Draw a tessellation using an octagon and square
  connected along a side as the fundamental shape
• Draw tessellations with modified squares or
  triangles
• Have a hairstyle show featuring different
  tessellations
• Use Barbie model bust in a center for students
  to practice making tessellating hair styles

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Geometry andThe Art of Oriental Carpets

• Patterns
• Symmetry
• Transformations
• Flips
• Slides
• Rotations

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Classroom Activities

• Have students create their own Oriental carpets

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Other Cultural Ideas

• Pueblo People (Hopi)basket weaving and pottery
  design

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Other Cultural Ideas

• Kente and adinkra cloths of Asante people in Ghana

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Other Cultural Ideas

• Early American quilting

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Students at Work
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Works Cited

• Journal
• Teaching Children Mathematics November 2001
  Vol. 8, Number 3
• Web Sites
• www.cs.uidaho.edu/casey93f1/seminar/ethn.html
• www.dm.unipi.it/jama/ethno
• www.science.org.au/nova/073/073print.htm
• http//mathforum.org/geometry/rugs
• www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/special/gilmer-gloria_HAI
  RSTYLE.html
• www.ecsu.ctstateu.edu/depts/edu/projects/ethnomath
  .html