Ethnomathematics: An exploration of the mathematics embedded in basket making by Aawambo women in the Oshana region, Namibia
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Date
2024
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Namibia
Abstract
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
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Mathematics teachers on the co-development of lesson plans to integrate
ethnomathematics in the school curriculum
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Education( Mathematics Education)
Keywords
Ethnomathematics, Indigenous knowledge, Basket making, Mathematics teachers, Integration, University of Namibia, Namibia