Harnessing Indigenous Knowledge for Teaching of Mathematics for Sustainable Development in Rural Situated Primary Schools

被引:2
作者
Gula, Zoleka [1 ]
Jojo, Zingiswa [2 ]
机构
[1] Univ Western Cape, Sch Sci & Math Educ, Cape Town, South Africa
[2] Rhodes Univ, Fac Educ, Secondary & Post Sch Educ, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa
关键词
Indigenous knowledge; mathematics; teaching; sustainable development; primary schools; EDUCATION; TEACHERS;
D O I
10.1080/18117295.2024.2424696
中图分类号
G40 [教育学];
学科分类号
040101 ; 120403 ;
摘要
Mathematics is not seen as an absolute corpus of well-founded knowledge anymore, but as a human activity, a social phenomenon, part of human culture that evolves historically and intelligibly in a social context. By harnessing the indigenous cultures and their knowledge systems in-depth, this article aims to evaluate how the sustainable development agenda can benefit from the teaching of mathematics in rural primary schools. Underpinned by the Teaching for Robust Understanding in Mathematics framework, the researchers used a phenomenological case study research design in qualitative research methods to respond to the question: how can indigenous knowledge be harnessed in the teaching of mathematics for sustainable development? From a population of 60 intermediate-phase mathematics teachers in the Alfred Nzo East district of the Eastern Cape, the researchers used criterion sampling to choose and conduct semi-structured interviews with three teachers experienced in using indigenous artefacts in their mathematics teaching. The findings indicate that teachers in this study developed skills of embracing culture and taught their learners to connect mathematics content with real-world situations. Productive struggles that enhanced higher-order levels of thinking were observed within their interactions with their learners. It is recommended that cultural practices be included in the curriculum such that the social, economic and environmental domains of sustainable development can be maintained.
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页码:404 / 421
页数:18
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