The Importance of Ethnomathematics in the Math Class

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2015

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Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics

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Abstract

We contend that the teaching and learning of mathematics should reflect and embrace the cultural diversity found in our mathematics classrooms and in our increasingly interconnected world. The goal of this article is to convey a simple message: ethnomathematics, that is, culturally-based mathematics, should be (further) integrated into the mathematics classroom. To achieve this goal, we discuss what ethnomathematics is and why it should be (further) incorporated into mathematics curricula. We also present examples of ethnomathematics in the math class, some of the arguments against inclusion of ethnomathematics into the curricula, as well as some ways in which these arguments can be successfully countered. Ultimately, we hope to demonstrate that ethnomathematics, which has the potential to show our students' multicultural views of mathematics, may help students develop a greater interest in mathematics.

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Ohio Journal of School Mathematics, no. 71 (2015), 31-36.