Browsing by Author "Shimwandi, Ruusa Ndeutenge"

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    Ethnomathematics: An exploration of the mathematics embedded in basket making by Aawambo women in the Oshana region, Namibia
    (University of Namibia, 2024) Shimwandi, Ruusa Ndeutenge; Ngololo, Elizabeth
    The practice of ethnomathematics has been deeply embedded in the tradition of ethnic groups but its concepts remain untapped in the teaching of Mathematics in schools. In the Namibian context, it seems that curricula are still rooted in colonial policy with little or no integration of indigenous knowledge (IK) in schools. Although the Namibian National Curriculum for Basic Education (Namibia Ministry of Education Art and Culture, 2016) claims that it “embraces traditional knowledge” it does not specify how. It is against this background that the current study focuses on the Mathematics embedded in basket making by Aawambo women in the Oshana Region, Namibia, particularly identifying the mathematical content at the junior secondary level that is applicable. The study examines how Mathematics teachers can integrate geometrical constructs of basket-making into the teaching and learning process of Mathematics. Employing Vygotsky’s Socio-Cultural Theory as an analytical lens, I used an ethnographic research design that enables the development of a deeper understanding of how people make sense of the contexts in which they live and to generate data from interviews, observations and artefacts. I selected participants purposively to meet the objectives of the study and took a thematic approach to generate common sub-themes which I combined to form themes. The findings from a Focus Group Discussion with teachers revealed that basket weavers used various methods to form geometrical terms and relationships, geometrical shapes, geometrical transformation and symmetry. Workshop was an apt approach for training teachers in integration of IK. Recommendations based on the findings include training ii Mathematics teachers on the co-development of lesson plans to integrate ethnomathematics in the school curriculum