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ETHNOMATHEMATICAL LESSONS FOR PAPUA NEW GUINEA HIGH SCHOOLS

INTRODUCTION

In the past, mathematics was viewed as a ‘universal language’ and was thought to be ‘culture free’. That is to say, mathematics was considered the same mathematics the world over. After all, all people count, measure, and perform logical operations in every culture.

In the past 20 years, there has been a growing feeling that perhaps mathematics varies widely from culture to culture. Psychological studies of ‘cognitive style’ have shown that thought processes are not uniform around the world, and therefore that the mathematical reasoning used in the Western world may be fundamentally alien to many peoples in traditional societies. Many books and articles have been written on this subject. Notable among them are the works of Bishop (1988), D’Ambrosio (1985), and Jurdak (1988). These authors all refer to much of their research as ‘ethnomathematics.’

The term ethnomathematics refers to the study of mathematics across cultures. It has two basic premises:

a) There is a rich source of mathematical ideas to be found in non-Western societies. Students from these societies should be taught mathematics relevant to their cultures.
b) Traditional topics can also be used to teach Western mathematics, by forming a bridge between traditional thought and Western thought.

Papua New Guinea has a vast treasure of cultural material. Each of the nearly 1000 identifiable cultures in the country has its own traditional mathematics and its own cognitive style of mathematical thought. This traditional mathematics can be a rich source of educational material. Judging from the two premises listed above, traditional PNG mathematics can be used in two ways: as a subject for study in itself, and as an educational device for teaching Western mathematics.

Students around the world should be made aware that mathematics is a natural activity which is used in their everyday lives. Mathematics should not be viewed as another Western concept introduced from outside – yet another foreign subject to be mastered by students if they are to enter into Westernized society.

Ethnomathematical Lessons
Mathematics students at the University of Papua New Guinea – Goroka Campus will within several months of graduation become teachers of students from one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world. With this fact in mind, the teacher trainees were asked to prepare lessons using traditional mathematics. While the traditional mathematics itself should be of interest to high school students, the primary focus of the exercise was to use the traditional mathematics to teach topics from the existing (Western) syllabus. For example, traditional counting systems could be used to teach number bases, or traditional units of measure could be compared to the metric system to teach a lesson ratio and proportion.

The projects were done in groups of 2-4 students, with a view towards comparing mathematics from culture to culture. For example, three students in one group came from language groups where the counting systems had bases of 4, 5 and 10, and they presented a lesson comparing the three different systems. Students were also encouraged to bring traditional objects, such as traditional money or measuring devices. One group found various geometrical shapes and presented a lesson on congruent shapes found in village life.