2. Introduction
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM, 2000)
has created a set of standards to reform mathematics teaching
procedures to ensure that all students understand mathematics
and learn to think mathematically. The standards also require
teachers to use strategies that allow all students to reason and
communicate mathematically and develop student’s abilities to
solve problems.
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3. Multicultural mathematics
• MCM means studying of contributions of mathematicians like,
problem solving, methods, theorem etc of different religion
and culture.
• The process of understanding the role of mathematics in
multicultural society and the contributions of mathematicians
of various culture to the advancement of mathematics is
called MCM.
• MCM means that preparing the students to be functional in a
competitive pluralist society and teaching them about their
customs history and aesthetic aspect in terms of mathematical
contributions as effective education programme .
What is multicultural mathematics?
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4. why is multicultural approach needed in teaching
mathematics?
1 It humanizes mathematics lessons and topics
2 Includes all students and boosts the confidence levels of students
3 Gives a holistic learning and connects to their disciplines (interdisciplinary
approach), and determines the usage of mathematics in society and in
other groups
4 Corrects inaccuracies within mathematics, increases the universality of
mathematics, and recognizes and acknowledges the existence of “other”
mathematics
5 Gives an education in awareness of student’s background
6 Promotes critical thinking
7 Is consistent with constructivism
8 Develops Discipline
Multicultural approach in teaching mathematics is important because
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5. Who are needed in using a multicultural approach in
teaching mathematics?
The key players in the multicultural teaching of mathematics are
a. Teachers: without a doubt, it is important to start with the teachers, as
they are the ones who maintain daily contact with the students and have
very great impact in the students lives. The following are a sample of what
teachers may do : read and research on topics for accuracy; Incorporate
backgrounds(historical, cultural, ethno mathematical) of the topics;
communicate and confer with other teachers , curriculum developers.
b. curriculum developers and supervisors :curriculum developers and
supervisors are often the liaison between the classroom and the district
office. Aside from those listed above, the curriculum developers and
supervisors must advocate the use of multicultural teaching of
mathematics.
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6. c. Principals and school administrators:
principals and school administrators play a significant role in the multicultural
teaching of mathematics. First and foremost is that they should believe
in their teachers and students. They must provide support to teachers-
pedagogical, technical, financial , etc.
d. Parents :
parents are a vital part of the learning community as they are valuable
resources for our classrooms. They certainly can offer suggestions and
ideas based their own background on how they use mathematics in their
own lives and jobs or how they solve a mathematics problem.
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7. The guidelines in using a multicultural approach in teaching
mathematics
In as much as multicultural approach to the teaching of mathematics is advocated,
one must not forget that there are some important directives or guidelines to which
the teachers adhere. In the multicultural teaching of mathematics, the lesson
strives to:
• Present accurate mathematics content, which is not lost in the process of the
lesson.
• Use learning outcomes reflecting the objectives and bias-free assessments.
• Uphold educational equity
• Develop collaboration and empowerment in the entire learning community.
• Promote cultural pluralism in society or inter-group harmony in the classroom.
• Help increase the students knowledge of various cultures, including their own.
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8. Bank’s five dimension framework for empowering your students
through multicultural mathematics:
1. Content integration:- the illumination of key points of instruction with a
content reflecting diversity;
2. Knowledge construction:-helping students understand how perspectives of
people within a discipline influence the conclusion reached within that
discipline;
3. Prejudice reduction:-efforts to develop positive attitudes toward different
groups;
4. Equitable pedagogy:- ways to modify teaching to facilitate academic
achievement among students from diverse groups;
5. Empowering school culture and social structure:-ensuring educational
equality and cultural empowerment for students from diverse groups
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9. Creating a multicultural classroom
Use multicultural books and materials
Show an appreciation of cultural, racial , and ethnic differences
Avoid stereotypes
Acknowledge differences in children
Discover the diversity within the classroom (know your students
and their backgrounds)
Accept and embrace all of your students
Organize open discussions
Identify their strengths and weaknesses
Plan group activities
Encourage cultural storytelling
Hold multicultural seminars and events, etc.
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10. Goals of multicultural education
To transform schools and public education
To update societal views of culture
To learn how to evaluate knowledge from different
perspectives
To develop an ethnic, national, and global identity
To provide decision making skills and critical analysis
skills so the students can make better choices in
their everyday lives
To promote student self-awareness
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11. Benefits of living in a multicultural society
More lifestyle options
Increased awareness of cultural identity
Tolerance and open-mindedness
Creativity and innovation
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12. conclusion
As teachers continue to improve their teaching
practices to meet the standards set by NCTM(2000), they
must be aware of the needs of the learners in today’s
classrooms.
Students today come to the classroom with many
different experiences, backgrounds, and languages. Their
needs and strengths must be attended to in order to
ensure that they receive an equitable opportunity to learn
mathematics.
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13. References
1. Understanding discipline and pedagogy: Mathematics
- B. R. Ramachandraiah
2. www.slideplayer.com
3. https://www.cuemath.com
4. https://files.eric.ed.gov.com
5. https://www.charlottestories.com
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