ETNOMATHEMATICS | Turkey

ETHNOMATHEMATICS

Once upon a time, the large garden of a large, colorful and lively secondary school echoed with the laughter of children. Students would run, play games and release their energy with enthusiasm during class breaks. One day, I decided to design a game in that garden to teach mathematics to children in a more fun way. I thought about children's favorite games and rhythmic counting. And finally, I decided to plan a series of activities that combine mathematical concepts with play.

The following week, we moved the lesson, which started with great excitement, to the school garden. We made a giant hopscotch drawing in the middle of the garden with the help of our visual arts teacher. However, this hopscotch was not the usual ones; The numbers that required rhythmic counting were written in each box. These numbers were arranged rhythmically as fives, sixes, sevens, eights and nines. In addition, traditional games that children love very much were also included in this event. When the game started, students took turns jumping into hopscotch.

In the first round, students jumped into the boxes by counting five by five: 5, 10, 15, 20... As they progressed through the boxes, they both learned to count and were asked if there was a certain pattern when they said each number correctly. “Why is there this number in this box?” When asked, a student replied, “I am in a rhythmic pattern.” It was thought that counting by fives has never been this easy.

Then, in the second round, the students started counting by sixes: 6, 12, 18, 24... The numbers in the boxes had changed and they were encountering 6 and its multiples. At each step, I wanted students to explore counting and the rhythmic progression between numbers. During this process, children were both having fun and learning mathematics better without realizing it.

In the third round, it was time to count rhythmically by sevens. In this round, we changed the game a little and included the traditional Turkish game of grabbing the handkerchief. As the students proceeded by counting seven by seven, they had to stop when they reached certain boxes. At that moment, a student started running to catch the tissue. The aim was to both say the correct number and grab the tissue. This combination made the children even more excited and increased the tempo of the game. Each student learned to count quickly and focus their attention while trying to catch the handkerchief by rhythmically counting by sevens.

In the fourth round, it was time to count rhythmically by eight. In the eights box, the children progressed by counting to eight: 8, 16, 24, 32… Speed ​​and balance were at the forefront in this round. Children reinforced rhythmic counting by 8s and the pattern between numbers with their teachers' relevant clues. I was motivating them to count correctly rhythmically. Children who had to say the correct numbers at each step began to master rhythmic counting over time.

And finally, the rhythmic counting round started by nine. In this round, another traditional game, corner grabbing, was added to the game. Each student moved forward in the nines box by counting nines: 9, 18, 27, 36... The children, moving between the boxes, ran to get to the corner when they said the correct number. Every corner was a home run and grabbing every corner was an achievement. This game enabled children to strategize and increase both their physical and mental speed. Rhythmic counting by nines combined with corner grabbing increased students' interest in mathematics.

At the end of the day, the children had both fun and learned mathematical concepts in depth. My little ones came running to me. Teacher, if only we knew that mathematics was this easy and fun, we would not be so afraid. They said, “It's a good thing that mathematics is included in games.” I was very happy when I saw how enthusiastic the children were in this process. Rhythm, shapes and games were intertwined. The students loved this experience in which they added mathematics into traditional games.  

With this game-filled mathematics lesson, I both improved the students' mathematical skills and introduced them to the fun side of ethnomathematics and mathematics. And so, this combined day of rhythmic counting and traditional games in the schoolyard became an unforgettable learning experience for my students.

Mathematics is a philosophy of life for us mathematics teachers. So mathematics is everywhere. Mathematics can also be learned through games and having fun. The important thing is to go beyond classical methods and provide permanent mathematics education to our students. To make people love mathematics. More importantly, it is to show that mathematics is not a subject to be afraid of. Let's start our math adventure together.