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JADENKÄ – where mathematics and culture meet

JADENKÄ – where mathematics and culture meet

August 9, 2018 por Emma Näslund-Hadley - Carmen Albertos - 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 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 is a Lead Education Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington DC, where she directs and collaborates in the design and execution of a wide range of education sector projects and reforms throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Emma’s research spans pre-primary through secondary education, focusing on discovering learning processes in the classroom that promote children’s development of conceptual, generalizable knowledge in mathematics and science. Previously she held positions with the European Parliament and the United Nations. Emma has a master’s degree in international economics and finance from the University of Linkoping and a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton University.

Cynthia Hobbs

Cynthia Hobbs is a Lead Education Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank. She has a deep interest in improving teaching quality, and she has taught in primary schools, universities and in courses for adults. She also has conducted research on teaching practices, including intercultural bilingual math education. Prior to joining the IDB, she worked for 15 years at the World Bank where she also oversaw the preparation and execution of education projects in several areas, including early and pre-primary education, primary and secondary education, youth, and transitions from school to work. Cynthia holds a degree in Psychology from Bates College (USA) and a master's degree in International Education from Harvard University.

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Education In Focus

"Education In Focus" is the Education Division's blog, a space where our specialists and guest authors share their reflections, experiences and knowledge to promote informed discussions on educational issues among policy makers, experts, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders. Our goal: to provide insights 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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