Teaching curricular contents of Mathematics linked with the African baobab tree

Abstract

This article presents some excerpts from a qualitative research that seeks ways to incorporate elements of African culture in mathematics classes in the final years of Elementary School. The organization of the didactic activities followed the principles of ethnomathematics according to the guidelines of Ubiratan D’Ambrosio. Data collection was carried out through a training course for teachers entitled “African mathematics and culture linked to curricular themes”. In this text are exposed the understandings of three research participants, teachers of the basic education network, who developed together with their students activities that made it possible to link characteristics of the baobab tree with concepts of fractal geometry, recursion, potentiation and algebraic generalization.