ICEM-4

Towson, Maryland United States

Education

Ethnomathematics grew out of the history of mathematics, math education, and issues of mathematics in anthropology, sociology, and even political science. It recognizes that all cultural groups do activities that involve mathematical thinking, even if the math may not look like the traditional Eurocentric academic mathematics that we learn in school. It may be as basic as the counting terms in various languages or the use of symmetries in craft products, or as complex and controversial as oppressed societies using mathematics to encourage open-minded thinking to challenge the authorities. Math educators find ways to enrich lessons by demonstrating mathematics from other cultures, often doin