Ethnomathematics as a pedagogical practice for teaching and learning mathematical concepts based on the craft of the tile setter

Abstract

This article presents an ethnomathematically grounded pedagogical practice developed with 34 students from a 2nd-year high school class at the Centro Educa Mais João Francisco Lisboa (CEJOL) in São Luís, Maranhão. The pedagogical practice was structured through the action-reflection-action process on mathematics teaching provided by the Ethnomathematics discipline in the Specialization Course in Mathematics Teaching at the Federal Institute of Maranhão, Monte Castelo campus. Aimed at analyzing how the knowledge/skills of tile setters working in a concrete company can contribute to the understanding of mathematical concepts in the classroom, a field research was conducted to identify the knowledge and practices of tile setters involved in the ceramic floor laying process, followed by the development of a pedagogical practice aimed at incorporating these knowledge and practices into the classroom. The pedagogical practice promoted a deeper and more applied understanding of mathematics content, contributing to the improvement of learning in the class in question. The development of ethnomathematically grounded pedagogical practices is a viable alternative for contextualized, critical, and creative mathematics teaching.