The document discusses culturally relevant mathematics education for indigenous peoples in the Philippines. It describes how over 20 education initiatives have aimed to provide indigenous youth with education rooted in their own cultures. Two questions are raised: how is culturally relevant math education implemented, and what challenges do teachers face in making lessons relevant? Several examples are described, including the Pamana Ka school that researches indigenous practices and validates lessons with elders. The conclusion advocates for training more teachers in ethnomathematics to help advance culturally grounded math education for indigenous students.

1. ETHNOMATHEMATICS AND
CULTURALLY RELEVANT
MATHEMATICS EDUCATION IN THE
PHILIPPINES
(WILFREDO V. ALANGUI)
Prem Vishwanath Joshi
Vishwanath Foundation

2. INTRODUCTION
 A revolution had taken place in the area of
education of Indigenous people (IP).
 There were more than 20 initiatives and programs
on IP education all over the country (Philippines)
run by IP organizations (IPO’s), NGO’s, Community
based effort and private institution.
 These IP education programs tried to provide a
culturally rooted and relevant education to
ingenuous youth and adults.

3.  The National framework pave the way for an IP
education that is responsive to their context,
respects to their identities and promote the value of
traditional knowledge, skills and other aspects of
cultural heritage.
 The long term goal of IP education is to remove the
barriers for meaning participation of IP’s in different
level of society and empower them.
 There were two questions in IP education in the
context of mathematics.

4.  How is culturally rooted and relevant mathematics
education implemented in various IP education
initiatives?
 What are the challenges do mathematics teachers
face in developing lessons that are relevant to the
context and reality of indigenous students.

5. THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF PHILIPPINS
 There were around 110 IP’s community with
population 15 to 20 million located in various part of
country.
 UNDP reports that “In the Philippines, IPs have
been subject to historical discrimination and
marginalization from political processes and
economic benefit. They often face exclusion, loss of
ancestral lands, displacement, pressures to and
destruction of traditional ways of life and practices,
and loss of identity and culture”

6. EXPERIENCES IN MAINSTREAM EDUCATION
 The school had been a key venue of discrimination.
 In mainstream education Indigenous peoples are
backward and primitive, with knowledge and skills
that are inferior to modern/scientific knowledge and
skills.
 The alienation of Indigenous youth from their own
communities, heritage, culture and history.

7. UNDERACHIEVEMENT IN MAINSTREAM
EDUCATION
 Significant gaps in achievement between
Indigenous students and non-Indigenous students
were noted.
 The report of NEDA shows a lack of school
buildings and Classrooms, lack of qualified
teachers, multi-grade system.
 The performance of IP students in mathematics
courses is significantly lower than those of non-IP
student leads educators find ways in which
Indigenous students can achieve better in
mathematics education

8. FORMULATING A PHILIPPINE IP CURRICULUM
FRAMEWORK
Aims:
- Review existing models/initiatives on IP Curriculum
development;
- Provide inputs and insights into the curriculum
framework formulation process;
- Propose guidelines in the formulation of the IP
curriculum framework based on basic principles
culled from classroom observations, interviews, and
focus group discussions; and
- Provide a documentation of the different IP
curriculum typologies.

9. FEATURES OF AN IP CURRICULUM
FRAMEWORK
 Is rooted in the ancestral domain and its indigenous
cultural institutions
 Embodies the sacredness of transmitting
Indigenous Knowledge, Systems and Practices
(IKSP);
 Revitalizes, regenerates, strengthens, and enriches
IKSP, the indigenous learning systems and
indigenous language;
 Affirms and strengthens IP identity;

10.  Focuses on cultural competencies and includes other
forms of knowledge, concepts, and skills attuned with
the needed life-long learning values and life skills for the
development and protection of ancestral domains, their
culture and the advancement of IP rights and welfare;
 Allows the whole community to discern new concepts
that will contribute to the community’s cultural integrity
while building new relations with the broader society;
 Uses instructional materials and resources that are
culture-based and culture-sensitive;
 Utilizes the whole ancestral domain as a learning space.

11. MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM IN PHILIPPINE IP
EDUCATION PROGRAMS
 It presents various approaches in their handling of
Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices
(IKSP). These typologies were relevant only to the
9 elementary schools, 3 secondary schools and the
2 non-formal schools included in the study.

13. THE PAMANA KA AND GOHANG SCHOOL
EXPERIENCES
 PAMANA KA is a school for Indigenous Mangyan
youth in the island of Mindoro. It stands for
Paaralang Mangyan na Angkop sa Kulturang
Aalagaan (literally, a Mangyan school fit to the
culture we value).
 PAMANA KA mathematics teachers go through a lot
of effort in developing culturally relevant lessons for
their students. Researching practices and beliefs,
interview and validation with elders, immersion in
community life are part of their process of
developing all their lessons (not only in
mathematics).

14. THE GOHANG NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
EXPERIENCE (GNHS)
By virtue of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)
between the DepED and the UNESCO National
Commission signed in February 2013, the Gohang
National High School was designated as a Special
Secondary School for the Conservation of the
Ifugao Rice Terraces.
UNESCO provided grant support for the
transformation of GNHS into this special school,
covering (i) community engagement; (ii) curriculum
development; (iii) training of school management
and teachers; and (iv) advocacy and
communications.

15. AN ETHNOMATHEMATICAL CURRICULUM MODEL
Knijnik (1997) describes as an ethnomathematical
approach, one that is characterized by the
investigation of the traditions, practices, and
mathematical concepts of a subordinated social
group and the pedagogical work, which was
developed in order for the group to be able to
interpret and decode its knowledge.

17. CONCLUSION
 There was difficulties faced by mathematics
teachers in developing culturally relevant
mathematics lessons.
 Ethnomathematics may be used as a theory
for culturally relevant mathematics education within
IP education initiatives in the Philippines.
 Developing culturally relevant mathematics
education for Indigenous students can only
succeed and become effective if done within the
context of a broader IP education program.

18.  There was a challenge to train more Filipino
teachers in the theory of ethnomathematics for
them to help advance culturally relevant
mathematics education within the context of a
comprehensive Indigenous peoples’
education program.

19. THANK
YOU