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Ethnomathematics and its Diverse Approaches for Mathematics Education pp 153–179Cite as

Meaningful Mathematics Through the Use of Cultural Artifacts

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Part of the book series: ICME-13 Monographs ((ICME13Mo))

Abstract

This chapter offers a perspective on how to make mathematics meaningful for students by using a cultural artifact named dhol, which is a musical instrument constructed and played by the members of the Rai cultural group in Nepal. The authors discuss how the use of culturally contextualized mathematics found in these drums may help students to connect school mathematics with their own home cultures by elaborating ethnomodels. The theoretical basis of ethnomathematics and culturally relevant pedagogy could be an appropriate response for education in Nepal. In this context, the authors invite the readers to connect mathematics with their own community and cultural practices in order to make mathematics meaningful for students.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Cultural traits are related to the appreciation of features developed by the members of a specific culture such as religion, language, government, customs and traditions, social organization, and arts as well as the establishment of relations between the members of that group. In this context, it is important that educators, investigators, and researchers understand the cultural roots of other cultures in order to value the ideas, procedures, and mathematical practices used by students from distinct cultural contexts (Rosa and Orey 2016).

  2. 2.

    Since more than 80% Nepali people are Hindu by religion and they do not eat cow and ox, it is getting difficult to provide these kinds of leather. Currently, they are using buffalo leather that has less quality than the ox leather. However, people from the Rai community can eat ox and this kind of leather is provided to them.

  3. 3.

    Tika is a small spot of bright orange colored rice that people place on their forehead for blessings.

  4. 4.

    The etic approach corresponds to an outsider’s interpretation of the mathematical ideas, procedures, and practices developed by the member of distinct cultural groups (Rosa and Orey 2013b).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Activity Based Instruction, Kathmandu University School of Education, Patan, Nepal

    Toyanath Sharma

  2. Departamento de Educação Matemática/Instituto de Ciências Exatas E Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil

    Daniel Clark Orey

Authors
  1. Toyanath Sharma
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  2. Daniel Clark Orey
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Correspondence to Toyanath Sharma .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Educacao Aberta e a Dista, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto Centro de Educacao Aberta e a Dista, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Milton Rosa

  2. Mathematics, Towson University Mathematics, Towson, Maryland, USA

    Lawrence Shirley

  3. Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica , Heredia, Costa Rica

    Maria Elena Gavarrete

  4. University of the Philippines Baguio , Baguio, Philippines

    Wilfredo V. Alangui

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Sharma, T., Orey, D.C. (2017). Meaningful Mathematics Through the Use of Cultural Artifacts. In: Rosa, M., Shirley, L., Gavarrete, M., Alangui, W. (eds) Ethnomathematics and its Diverse Approaches for Mathematics Education. ICME-13 Monographs. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59220-6_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59220-6_7

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