Abstract
Ethnomathematics makes school mathematics more relevant and meaningful for students. The current research aims to study the effect of using ethnomathematics in the context of Islamic ornamentation on learning the topic of congruent triangles. To achieve this aim, 30 10th-grade students engaged in ethnomathematics by learning about congruent triangles using Islamic ornamentation. Data was gathered via (a) videotaping and transcribing students’ learning and (b) students answering two parallel questionnaires that included proof questions on the three congruence theorems. The students were required to answer one questionnaire before the learning process and one after it. The main results indicated that the students succeeded in constructing the concepts of congruence and congruent triangles via the ethnomathematics learning process. In addition, the students succeeded in arriving at and formulating the three congruence theorems. Moreover, findings obtained from the questionnaires indicated that the students improved their proving processes as a result of ethnomathematics-based learning. Furthermore, paired sample t-tests indicated significant differences between the students’ mean scores before and after the learning process.
Highlights
D’Ambrosio [1] described ethnomathematics as “the mathematics which is practised among identifiable cultural groups, such as national-tribal societies, labor groups, children of a certain age bracket, professional classes, and so on” (p. 45)
The ethnomathematics perspective was applied in different countries with different groups of students, from different ages, where these students made connections between ethno-contexts and school mathematics
We will present our findings according to the instructional goals
Summary
D’Ambrosio [1] described ethnomathematics as “the mathematics which is practised among identifiable cultural groups, such as national-tribal societies, labor groups, children of a certain age bracket, professional classes, and so on” (p. 45). The adoption of an ethnomathematical perspective in developing informal mathematical curricula ensures that both contextualized problems and students’. It helps students understand the role that mathematics plays in a societal context [4]. The ethnomathematics perspective was applied in different countries with different groups of students, from different ages, where these students made connections between ethno-contexts and school mathematics. Verner, and Bshouty [7] reported that high school students found the construction of geometrical ornaments, from different cultures in Israel, and the discovery of their mathematical properties to be both meaningful and enjoyable. The construction of geometrical ornaments can foster creativity and lead to deep inquiry from both mathematical and cultural perspectives [7].
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