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JADENKÄ – where mathematics and culture meet

JADENKÄ – where mathematics and culture meet

August 9, 2018 by Emma Näslund-Hadley | Cynthia Hobbs | Leave a Comment


The day we visited the San Juan School in the Chiriqui province of Panama, the preschool students were laughing, dancing and singing. But their play was not unstructured; it followed a well-researched pedagogical sequence. These students are part of a new bilingual and intercultural preschool program called Ari Taen JADENKÄ (Let’s Count and Play, in Ngäbere) that helps children develop essential early mathematics skills. The program introduces skills or abilities that children need as a basis for primary school mathematics, including number sequence, shape recognition, counting objects, and spatial abilities (for example the difference between over and under).

 

In an effort to lay a foundation of early math skills that sets children up to succeed in primary school mathematics, the Ministry of Education of Panama (MEDUCA) decided to introduce JADENKÄ (pronounced Ha-den-go) to the country’s largest indigenous group (Ngäbe).  The students living in the indigenous communities show some of the lowest math levels in a country that, overall, is one of the lowest performers on international standardized math and language tests.

In Latin America, comprehensive preschool mathematics lessons are rare in and of themselves. However, what really sets JADENKÄ apart is that it integrates Spanish and the children’s native language, Ngäbere, while combining mathematics from Western countries with intercultural or ethno-mathematics. Take counting, for example.

In Ngäbere there are 14 diverse ways of counting depending on the characteristic of the objects you are counting; and numerals such as 1, 2 and 3 are adjectives that cannot be used independently. For instance, an orange is classified as round so Kwa-ti-naran (an orange) is expressed as “round thing-one-orange,” and Kun-ti-tire (a flat field) is expressed as “flat thing-one-field” because they consider the flat aspect of the field. Ngäbe arithmetic consists of 11 units, including numbers 1 through 11 and 20.  The shapes of things are important for arithmetic operations. For example, a round object that becomes irregular through division, changes classifier.

JADENKÄ – where mathematics and culture meet
JADENKÄ – where mathematics and culture meet

JADENKÄ helps preschoolers master five of the 14 numeric classifiers, as well as the basis for Ngäbe arithmetic and geometry. Culturally, the knowledge of Ngäbe mathematics is valuable as it permeates many aspects of community life, from Ngäbe mythology and religious ceremonies, where cocoa seeds (round objects) are counted and used along with different types of herbs (elongated objects), to agriculture, where crops are cultivated in intricate geometric shapes.

As important as preserving an ancient arithmetical system, anthropological research proposes that in addition to preserving an ancient arithmetical system, ethno-mathematics can increase logical thinking skills, students’ enjoyment of math, and their sense of belonging in mathematical careers. To use the words of the teacher in the San Juan School, Zuleika Cubilla, “Ngäbe Mathematics allow children to have fun with mathematics, while at the same time safeguarding their culture.”

JADENKÄ is the result of valuable partnerships. The project is financed by the IDB Japan Special Fund; and the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) accompanies MEDUCA and the teachers by assisting in the development of lessons and by providing continuous professional development in the classrooms. Innovation for Poverty Action (IPA) helps evaluate the program through a randomized control trial to determine if JADENKÄ helps improve children’s ethno- and Western mathematical skills, as well as their cultural knowledge.

Filed Under: English Tagged With: early childhood development Early Childhood Education latin america and the caribbean mathematics Panamá

Emma Näslund-Hadley

Emma Näslund-Hadley

Emma Näslund-Hadley es especialista en educación de la División de Educación del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) en Washington DC desde septiembre de 2002. Dirige y colabora en el diseño y la ejecución de una amplia gama de proyectos en el sector de educación. Es la coordinadora de los esfuerzos del Banco para mejorar la educación en matemáticas y ciencias naturales. Entre 1999 y 2002, fue consejera política en el Parlamento Europeo donde trabajaba en políticas de educación, género y cuestiones del mercado de trabajo. Anteriormente, ocupó cargos en las Naciones Unidas y la Agencia Sueca para el Desarrollo Internacional, encargándose del diseño, ejecución y seguimiento de proyectos de educación en América Central, México, la República Dominicana y Cuba. Es autora de artículos en revistas revisadas por pares e informes institucionales. Emma tiene una maestría en economía y finanzas internacionales de la Universidad de Linkoping y una maestría en Asuntos Públicos de la Universidad de Princeton. Su investigación se enfoca principalmente en la enseñanza de matemáticas y ciencias.

Cynthia Hobbs

Cynthia Hobbs es una Especialista Senior de Educación en el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. Tiene un profundo interés en temas de calidad de la docencia, ya que ha enseñado en las escuelas primarias, en universidades y en cursos para adultos. También ha realizado investigaciones en prácticas docentes y reformas educativas. Antes de unirse al BID, trabajó por 15 años en el Banco Mundial donde supervisó la preparación y ejecución de proyectos en varias áreas, entre ellas la educación inicial y pre-primaria, educación primaria y secundaria, juventud, y transiciones de la escuela al trabajo. Tiene un título en Psicología de Bates College (EEUU) y una maestría en Educación Internacional de la Universidad de Harvard

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Education In Focus

"Education In Focus" is ID´s Education Division blog, a space where our specialists and guest authors share their reflections, experiences and knowledge to promote informed discussions on educational issues among students, parents, teachers, experts and decision makers. Our goal: to give direction to public policies that guarantee effective and quality education for all children and young people in Latin America and the Caribbean.

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