Foundations in Ethnomathematics for Prospective Elementary Teachers

Ethnomathematics is a term that has been coined to elucidate that everyone uses and can learn mathematics. This manuscript demonstrates how a college Mathematics Methods Course at a Doctoral Intensive University in the Rocky Mountain Region can implement the idea of using the culturally diverse background of students as a foundation to teach children learning second languages and children of diverse cultures. This includes one year of quantitative and qualitative research about prospective elementary teachers who were instructed on how to teach children learning second languages during their Mathematics Methods Course. These prospective teachers then applied these methods while completing their student teaching. Introduction Ethnomathematics is a “broader view of how mathematics relates to the real world” (D’Ambrosio, 2002, p. 1). Ethnomathematics in the elementary classroom is where the teacher and the students value cultures, and cultures are linked to curriculum. Ethnomathematics “represents a complex and multifaceted dynamic, which illustrates the culturally influenced uses of mathematics through its applications” (Barta & Shockey, 2006, p. 79). Teachers must emphasize the importance of building upon the students’ foundational knowledge in a way that brings in their culture and their history in order to promote value in these cultures. This Mathematics Methods Course takes the first step towards ethnomathematics where the qualities of culture are explored to open up this previously unknown topic to prospective teachers. Staats (2006) explains that “ethnomathematics at the undergraduate level must be transformative, not The Journal of Mathematics and Culture January 2007, V2 (1) ISSN – 1558-5336 1 only for how students understand their abilities in mathematics but also in how they understand their relationship to others in the world” (p. 41). These prospective teachers must learn how to enhance and restore cultural dignity to the children in their classrooms (D’Ambrosio, 2002). This research study was two-semesters in length with ninety-two prospective elementary teachers participating. These prospective teachers were taught explicit strategies for working with children learning second languages in their Mathematics Methods Course through the specific course activities and projects of the Enhancing English Language Learning in Elementary Classrooms (Center for Applied Linguistics, 2003) often referred to as the “Farsi Video,”, human graph, and lesson plans. The readings from Darder (1991); Echevarria, Vogt, and Short (2004); and Howard (2004) provided context for theoretical knowledge about the importance of focusing on children learning second languages in the elementary classroom. The theme of ethnomathematics philosophical underpinnings is grounded in having respect and some knowledge of how a students’ native culture impacts the understanding of mathematics (Reyhner & Davison, 1992), understanding other cultures through Material World: A Global Family Portrait (Mendel, 1994), creating mathematics homework based on children’s culture and surroundings is one way to bring in the success and family life of the child’s community (Zimmerman, 2006), understanding the Yupik Eskimo’s of Alaska including the elders, parents, and children in this community and their tribal use of mathematics (Lipka, Wildfeuer, Wahlberg, George, & Ezran, 2001), and the Northern Ute culture of using mathematics as you live (Barta & Shockey, 2006). The results from the study were two-fold. First, quantitative results on a preassessment and post-assessment measuring the prospective teacher’s comfort level of teaching children learning second languages and diverse cultures were measured. Secondly, qualitative results from the prospective teacher’s student teaching assignment demonstrated themes in