Ethnomathematics and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in Mathematics Learning

Abstract

This paper examined ethnomathematics and culturally responsive pedagogy in Mathematics Learning. It looked at ethnomathematics as a form of traditional education that is focused on the incorporation of culturally relevant educational materials that convey mathematical principles from the students’ everyday lives. Ethnomathematical techniques aim to make classroom Mathematics more applicable and meaningful to learners in order to improve the quality of education generally and promote more culturally appropriate views of Mathematics. By examining the cultural aspects of Mathematics, ethnomathematics helps to improve learners’ ability to establish meaningful connections and deepen their understanding of the subject by connecting mathematical concepts to their cultural contexts. Some benefits of ethnomathematics were pointed out as: ability of learners to think creatively, ability to conquer dullness as learning becomes more fascinating, Mathematics learning turns out to be more meaningful and learners comprehend the lesson easily, ability to create a fresh environment because learning is no longer solely focused on paying attention to the teacher's explanations; rather, it is engaging due to the utilization of numerous media and resources that are known to the students. The study also highlighted some challenges associated with ethnomathematics. One of the challenges was that many teachers believe that ethnomathematics is a barrier or a time-waster that inhibits them from fulfilling the requirements specified in the curriculum because many examples are practical and can be taught in group project settings. It also looked at implications of ethnomathematics to Mathematics Curriculum. Relationship of culturally responsive teaching to Ethnomathematics was also examined. Some suggestions were made at the end of the study. One of the suggestions stated that textbook authors and publishers should endeavour to incorporate examples of some local materials from the learners’ cultural environment that will enhance effective use of ethnomathematics in schools.