Chapter 8

Ethnomathematics and Culturally

Relevant Mathematics Education
in the Philippines

Wilfredo V. Alangui

Abstract Various Indigenous peoples’ education initiatives in the Philippines,

including recent efforts of the Department of Education, bring to light the contin-
uing need to develop mathematics lessons that are culturally relevant for Indigenous
Filipino students. In general, teachers involved in Indigenous peoples’ education
have difficulty in developing culturally relevant mathematics lessons, with the
relative exception of PAMANA KA, a school for Indigenous Mangyan in San Jose,
Mindoro. My current involvement with this school as well as with the Gohang
National High School in Banaue, Ifugao, shows how a modified framework for an
ethnomathematical curriculum model admits a wider possibility for mathematical
thinking and investigation based on cultural practice. Ethnomathematics may be a
useful theoretical framework for the pursuit of culturally relevant mathematics
education in the Philippines.

!
Keywords Ethnomathematics Indigenous peoples’ education Culturally rele- !
!
vant mathematics lessons Ethnomathematical curriculum model Mathematics !
and culture

8.1 Introduction

A quiet revolution has been taking place in the area of education for Indigenous1
Peoples (IPs) of the Philippines. As of last count, there are more than twenty
initiatives and programs on IP education all over the country, formal and
non-formal that are being run by IP organizations (IPOs), non-government orga-
nizations (NGOs), community-based efforts and other private institutions. These IP

1
We capitalize Indigenous when referring to people and communities as a sign of respect.

W.V. Alangui (&)

University of the Philippines Baguio, Baguio, Philippines
e-mail: [email protected]

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017 183

M. Rosa et al. (eds.), Ethnomathematics and its Diverse Approaches
for Mathematics Education, ICME-13 Monographs,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-59220-6_8

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184 W.V. Alangui

education programs, with varying success and in different stages of development,

are efforts to provide a culturally rooted and relevant education to Indigenous youth
and adults.
A welcome development on the side of the Philippine government has been the
recent efforts of the Department of Education (DepEd) to finally recognize the
failure of state-administered education to provide a kind of education that is
non-alienating and sensitive to the needs and aspirations of Indigenous peoples. On
8 August 2011, the DepEd issued Department Order 62 (D.O. 62), adopting the
National Indigenous Peoples Education Policy Framework. In this important doc-
ument, basic education is seen as an enabling right that will allow IPs to “claim
their other rights, exercise self-determination, and expand the choices retrieved to
them” (D.O. 62, p. 6).
Through D.O. 62, the department acknowledges that IPs remain to be among the
most vulnerable and marginalized members of the citizenry, identifying access to
culture-relevant basic education as the most critical of all the current disadvantages
Indigenous peoples face in the country. The increase of IP education programs may
in fact be seen as response to years of discrimination, marginalization and neglect
by the Philippine government especially in the area of education for Indigenous
peoples (Abadiano 2011).
For the DEpEd, the national framework shall pave the way for an IP education
that is responsive to their context, respects their identities, and promotes the value
of their traditional knowledge, skills, and other aspects of their cultural heritage.
The long-term goal is to remove the barriers for the meaningful participation of IPs
in the different levels and spheres of society and empower them to exercise their
rights and duties as Filipino citizens (D.O. 62).
Considering that IP education covers all disciplines of knowledge, two questions
arise in relation to mathematics education: How is a culturally rooted and relevant
mathematics education implemented in these various IP education initiatives? What
challenges, if any, do mathematics teachers face in developing lessons that are
relevant to the context and reality of Indigenous students? A third question may be
added, one that is relevant to the field of ethnomathematics: What role does eth-
nomathematics play in this renewed effort to push for IP education in the
Philippines?
The next section briefly discusses the situation of Indigenous peoples in the
Philippines and their experiences in mainstream educational system.

8.2 The Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines

The Philippines is home to around 110 Indigenous peoples communities numbering

between fifteen to twenty million (ECIP, n.d.). Located in various parts of the
country, they are concentrated in Northern Luzon (mostly in Cordillera
Administrative Region at 33%) and in Mindanao (about 61%); the remaining 6%
are in the Visayas.

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8 Ethnomathematics and Culturally Relevant Mathematics … 185

The Igorot of the Cordillera region belong to different ethnic groups, such as
Bontoc, Ibaloi, Ifugao, Isneg, Kalinga, Kankanaey, and Tingguian. The Gadang,
Ilongot, and Ivatan are found in the Cagayan Valley, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and
Quirino. The Negrito groups, which include the Aeta and Dumagat, are found in
North, Central, and Southern Luzon. The Mindoro Island has seven distinct
Mangyan groups. Palawan islands have the Batak, Palawana, and Tagbanwa. The
Indigenous peoples in Mindanao are collectively called Lumad and belong to the
following groups: (1) the Monobo, (2) the Bagobo, B’laan, T’boli, and Teduray
groups, (3) the Mandaya and Mansaka groups, (4) the Subanen, and (5) the
Mamanwa (Abadiano 2011).
UNDP reports that “In the Philippines, IPs have been subject to historical dis-
crimination and marginalization from political processes and economic benefit.
They often face exclusion, loss of ancestral lands, displacement, pressures to and
destruction of traditional ways of life and practices, and loss of identity and culture”
(UNDP Fact Sheet 2010, p. 1).
Republic Act 8371, also known as the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA),
was enacted in 1997 to correct this historical injustice and to recognize and protect
the rights of IPs. It has become the cornerstone of national policy on IPs including
in education. However, the effective implementation of IPRA remains a challenge
for all stakeholders.
There continues to be a lack of accurate statistics and figures giving the number
of Indigenous peoples communities reached by the public school system of the
country. Many of these communities are in the mountainous areas of the country
where basic social services like public schools and health centers are not provided
by the government.
The absence of schools and other educational opportunities may have been a
major problem in many Indigenous communities, but for many of those who have
had access to mainstream education the experience has been a difficult one.

8.2.1 Experiences in Mainstream Education

The experiences of Indigenous peoples in mainstream Philippine education are

summarized in a report of the Episcopal Commission of Indigenous Peoples (ECIP)
of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines entitled Indigenous Peoples
Education: From Alienation to Rootedness. In this report, the views, experiences,
and insights of Indigenous communities and various Indigenous Peoples’
Apostolates (IPAs) nationwide were consolidated through a process of regional and
national consultations from 2004 to 2007.
The report states that for an Indigenous person who had experienced mainstream
education, the school had been a key venue of discrimination. This came in various
forms: IP students were treated differently by their classmates and teachers, mir-
roring stereotypes held by the bigger society; their inability to comply with certain
school requirements like wearing uniforms and shoes (because of financial

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186 W.V. Alangui

difficulties) became an identity marker that fuelled further discrimination; and there
was tendency to label them as slow learners.
Mainstream education, in the Philippines and in other parts of the world, has also
helped popularize the view that Indigenous peoples are backward and primitive,
with knowledge and skills that are inferior to modern/scientific knowledge and
skills (ECIP, n.d.; McConaghy 2000; Smith 1999). What is discussed inside the
classroom (educational content), the manner by which these are delivered (peda-
gogy), and the whole educational management are dictated by an assimilationist
model with its western-based epistemic and ontological assumptions about teaching
and learning, curriculum, management, policies and assessment (Longboat 2012).
The overall impact of mainstream assimilationist education, according to the
ECIP report, is the alienation of Indigenous youth from their own communities,
heritage, culture and history.

8.2.2 Underachievement in Mainstream Education

Not surprisingly, significant gaps in achievement between Indigenous students and

non-Indigenous students have been noted all over the world (see for example
Longboat 2012; McEwan and Trowbridge 2007). In Canada, Haldane et al. (2011)
report:
In those places where reliable information on education achievement is retrieved, the data
points to a significant disparity in education outcomes between First Nation and non-First
Nation students and overall low education attainment by First Nation individuals (p. 1).

As noted earlier, there is no retrieved disaggregated data on Indigenous peoples’

education in the Philippines, although government reports show relatively low
participation and survival rates in education in regions with considerable IP pop-
ulation (Abadiano 2011). The situation of IP education in the country may be partly
gleaned from retrieved data in the Cordillera region in the northern part of the
country, where majority of the population are Indigenous peoples.
A 2011 report of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) of
the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) shows a lack of school buildings and
classrooms: 21 municipalities/districts in the region have no elementary schools and
six municipalities/districts have no secondary public schools. Because of lack of
qualified teachers, 1129 classes resort to the multi-grade system, which combines as
much as three grade levels (Grades 1–3 and 4–6) in a class.
Another disturbing trend in the basic education sector from 2005 to 2009 could
be gleaned from a 2011 report of the Department of Education-CAR
(DepEd-CAR). Table 8.1 shows low rates in all the indicators in both elementary
and secondary level in the region. The average cohort survival rate shows that only
67.54% of students who started in Grade 1 reached Grade 6, while the average
completion rate shows only 67.02% successfully finished elementary.

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8 Ethnomathematics and Culturally Relevant Mathematics … 187

Table 8.1 Performance indicators of government elementary and secondary schools—CAR:

2005–2009 (in %)
Indicator 2005–2006 2006–2007 2007–2008 2008–2009 4-year average
Elementary level
Participation rate 74.57 72.68 71.20 71.21 72.42
Cohort survival rate 86.40 60.42 62.94 60.38 67.54
Completion rate 85.98 59.45 62.53 60.14 67.02
Secondary level
Participation rate 40.34 39.49 38.48 37.04 38.84
Cohort survival rate 54.95 61.79 58.11 64.23 59.77
Completion rate 50.78 57.84 54.07 59.78 55.62
Source Department of Education-CAR

At the secondary level, participation rate is dismal with only 38.84% of children
attending public high schools. This means that 61.16% of youth who are supposed
to be in public high schools are either not enrolled, in private high schools, or are
out of school. The percentage of those in private high schools may be small given
the higher cost of private education even in the Cordillera region. Table 8.1 shows
the performance indicators of government elementary and secondary schools.
Among the First Nation people in Canada, the 2006 Census showed that only
39% of those aged 20–24 living on reserve have completed high school or obtained
an equivalent diploma while the Canadian average for high school completion for
non-Aboriginal people of the same age is more than 87% (Haldane et al. 2011).
This is even lower than the 50.78% completion rate in high school that was reg-
istered in the Cordillera region for academic year 2005–2006.
Aside from the low participation, survival and completion rates, Indigenous
students also underperform in disciplines involving science and mathematics
(DepEd-CAR 2011; Haldane et al. 2011). That performance of IP students in
mathematics courses is significantly lower than those of non-IP student leads
educators to feel a ‘sense of urgency’ to find ways in which Indigenous students can
achieve better in mathematics education (Donald et al. 2011).

8.3 A Culturally Responsive Education

The idea of culturally responsive education has been evolving in Canada for the
past 40 years and this has become an important innovation contributing to the
success of Indigenous learners in basic education (Longboat 2012). Similar efforts
are found in Alaska, New Zealand and Australia and elsewhere.
In the Philippines, the various initiatives on IP education may be seen as efforts
to address the alienating impact of mainstream education (perhaps the oldest of
these is the Kalahan Academy, which was put up in 1972 in the province of Nueva

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Vizcaya in the northeastern part of the island of Luzon). With varying success and
in different stages of development, some of these initiatives are efforts to provide a
Culturally Responsive Education (CRE).
Rejecting the culture deficit model which attributes academic weakness of IP
youth to learning deficiencies, perceived lack of ability of Indigenous communities
to actively support the academic achievement of their children, or the (prejudiced)
view that IPs simply do not value education (Salkind and Rasmussen 2008), a CRE
is “a way of bringing students, school and community relationships into a learning
community of shared values and educational goals for more equitable outcomes for
all students” (Longboat 2012, p. 70).

8.3.1 Formulating a Philippine IP Curriculum Framework

Following the adoption of D.O. 62, the Philippine Response to Indigenous and
Muslim Education (PRIME), a program funded by the Australian government,
commissioned a project for the formulation of the IP Curriculum Framework
(IPCF).
A study led by University of the Philippines educators Teret De Villa and
Wilfredo Alangui was initiated in November 2012 as requisite for the formulation
of the IPCF, with the following aims: (1) review existing models/initiatives on IP
Curriculum development; (2) provide inputs and insights into the curriculum
framework formulation process; (3) propose guidelines in the formulation of the IP
curriculum framework based on basic principles culled from classroom observa-
tions, interviews, and focus group discussions; and (4) provide a documentation of
the different IP curriculum typologies.
Using a consultative participatory process, the research was done over a period
of 3 months (November 2012 to January 2013). Sixteen (16) schools participated in
the study. These schools were visited to gather information on their experiences
(process and impact) in implementing IP education, to validate existing programs
based on documents/reports and earlier studies conducted, and to consult with the
stakeholders in the areas (De Villa et al. 2013).
For each school, the research team conducted Focus Group Discussions with
teachers and school administrators, students, parents, and community elders and
leaders. We followed community processes for obtaining consent, facilitated either
by IPEd focal persons of the DepEd, representatives of partner IP organizations, or
NGOs working in the area. Some Key Informants Interviews were held where
appropriate.
Ensuring geographical representation, some schools came from the mainland
(Luzon), and some from island groups in Visayas and Mindanao (De Villa et al.
2013). Of the 16, only 3 were secondary schools, 9 were elementary schools, 2 were
non-formal, and 2 were Schools of Living Tradition (that focused mainly on the
teaching of arts and culture and did not have a mathematics component in their
curricula).

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Two regional validation workshops were held, one for Luzon, and another for
Visayas and Mindanao. Then, a national validation workshop was held in May
2013 to share key findings and get feedback from representatives of schools and
communities that were visited.

8.3.2 Features of an IP Curriculum Framework

Several features or principles were found to be critical to the implementation of an

IP Curriculum. Across sites and experiences, aspirations for a curriculum for
Indigenous students were anchored on the following (De Villa et al. 2013):
1. Is rooted in the ancestral domain and its indigenous cultural institutions;
2. Embodies the sacredness of transmitting Indigenous Knowledge, Systems and
Practices (IKSP);
3. Revitalizes, regenerates, strengthens, and enriches IKSP, the indigenous learn-
ing systems and indigenous language;
4. Affirms and strengthens IP identity;
5. Focuses on cultural competencies and includes other forms of knowledge,
concepts, and skills attuned with the needed life-long learning values and life
skills for the development and protection of ancestral domains, their culture and
the advancement of IP rights and welfare;
6. Allows the whole community to discern new concepts that will contribute to the
community’s cultural integrity while building new relations with the broader
society;
7. Uses instructional materials and resources that are culture-based and
culture-sensitive;
8. Utilizes the whole ancestral domain as a learning space.
The idea of a Culturally Relevant Mathematics Education (CRME) that I use is
grounded on the above features of an IP curriculum framework as it encourages
building connections and meaning between indigenous knowledge and other
knowledge systems. It is a curriculum framework that not only allows for the
development of values, knowledge and skills that reinforce positive social and
cultural identities of Indigenous students but also allows them to develop awareness
about their social and political context.
The above features resonate with a CRE concept that is continuously evolving
among the First Nations in Canada. Longboat (2012) elaborates that CRE efforts in
Canada are guided by the belief that “academic performance is inextricably tied to
an Education experience that is firmly grounded in the context of culture and
language and founded on history, spiritual beliefs, songs, ceremonies, the land or
place of origin, art, music, oratory, contemporary community customs and Nation
building for First Nations citizenship” (p. 71).

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The CRE elements forwarded by Longboat (2012) are:

1. Recognition and use of indigenous languages;
2. Pedagogy that stresses traditional knowledge, values, relationships;
3. Pedagogy in which teaching strategies are congruent with traditional culture of
the community and contemporary ways of knowing;
4. Curriculum that is based on traditional indigenous knowledge and spirituality;
Strong participation from the community;
5. Knowledge and use of the traditional values and behaviors/protocols of the
community.

8.3.3 Mathematics Curriculum in Philippine IP Education

Programs

The study also documented five curriculum typologies (De Villa et al. 2013) that
showed varying approaches in their handling of Indigenous Knowledge Systems
and Practices (IKSP). These typologies were relevant only to the 9 elementary
schools, 3 secondary schools and the 2 non-formal schools included in the study.
Table 8.2 presents each of these typologies. I have included in the last column a
description of how mathematics lessons are handled in each type of curriculum. The
table also reflects both the DepEd and IP competencies that each curriculum needs
to cover. DepEd competencies refer to the school competencies that need to be met
by students per grade level as required by the Department of Education. IP com-
petencies refer to what students need to learn about their culture (e.g. important
values, cultural skills, knowledge about a practice).
The typology somehow dictated the extent and nature of culturally responsive
mathematics lessons that were included in the curriculum. For the first two
typologies, teachers felt the discussion of indigenous ways of counting or counting
in indigenous language as well as localizing mathematics problems and examples
were enough to meet the expectations of a culturally responsive mathematics
education. Examples of localizing mathematics lessons included using local names
for people and things as they appeared in word problems and providing a local
flavor to examples.
The last three typologies demanded more from the mathematics teachers, and
efforts ranged from localizing mathematics problems to providing context to the
mathematics lessons being discussed. Not all lessons were put in context, and some
lessons were not always successful in contextualizing them. Teachers in general
admitted difficulty in designing mathematics lessons that are culturally sensitive or
cross-cultural. In most cases, lessons revert back to the localization of mathematics
problems and examples.

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Table 8.2 Curriculum typology

Typology Handling of IKSP Handling of mathematics lessons
Insertion of cultural IKSP are only cited or minimally Mathematics lessons generally
elements in specific discussed in relation to DepEd revolved around counting in
subjects topics; cultural elements focus indigenous language and
mainly on indigenous music and localizing mathematics problems
dance and examples; Emphasis on
DepEd-prescribed competencies
in mathematics
Addition of a IKSP treated as a separate Localized mathematics problems
separate subject to subject; focus is on selected IP and examples; Emphasis on
cover IKSP and competencies (mainly indigenous DepEd-prescribed competencies
culture music and dance, beliefs and in mathematics
practices)
Integration in the IKSP are integrated more Counting in indigenous language;
curriculum comprehensively in all subject localized mathematics problems
areas; Emphasis on DepEd and examples; Emphasis on
competencies; IP competencies DepEd-prescribed competencies
are also given importance in mathematics
Indigenized Curriculum is strongly linked to Mathematics lessons are given a
Curriculum community life; Equal focus on cultural context; effort is given
DepEd and IPs competencies for cross-cultural mathematics
lessons; DepEd-prescribed
mathematics competencies are
given importance
IPs Curriculum Ancestral domain (AD) as Mathematics lessons are given a
foundation/basis of the cultural context; effort is given
curriculum; community life for cross-cultural mathematics
informs the curriculum; lessons; while focus is on IP
IP competencies are emphasized competencies, DepEd-prescribed
more than DepEd competencies mathematics competencies are
also given importance

8.4 The PAMANA KA and Gohang Experiences

One school, PAMANA KA, stood out from among the rest in providing culturally
relevant education to their students. PAMANA KA is a school for Indigenous
Mangyan youth in the island of Mindoro. It stands for Paaralang Mangyan na
Angkop sa Kulturang Aalagaan (literally, a Mangyan school fit to the culture we
value). Established in 1999 in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro by the Franciscan
Missionaries of Mary (FMM), it supports Mangyan students from all the seven
(7) Mangyan groups in Occidental Mindoro, namely the Hanunuo, Gubatnon,
Rataganon, Buhid, Taobuid, Alangan, and Iraya.
Located amidst a Mangyan settlement in a far-flung area of the municipality of
San Jose, PAMANA KA makes education accessible to children who never had the

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opportunity to go school because of a terrain that renders them distant from all the
other schools in town. There are two schools of PAMANA KA, one provides
elementary education and the other is secondary. The campus for elementary
education is located in the highly mountainous village of Balingasu. It is
non-formal in the sense that it has yet to be accredited by the Department of
Education.
It covers Kindergarten education until Grade 4. The secondary school is located
in the village of Danlog, not as mountainous as in Balingasu, but to get there one
has to cross a major river that is dangerous to navigate during the rainy season. The
Danlog campus offers first year to fourth year levels, and has recently been
accredited by the Department of Education. The last two elementary grades of
Grade 5 and 6 are offered in this campus.
As an educational institution, the vision of PAMANA KA is to provide “A
special education that is liberating, uplifts the Mangyan condition and brings about
the formation of a Mangyan who has the freedom and capability to shape his/her
own destiny; who is rooted in and developed by his own culture and indigenous
wisdom; who will serve the interest and the welfare of his fellow Mangyan”
(PAMANA KA Report 2012, p. 3). This vision has guided the management of the
school for the past 17 years.
The efforts of PAMANA KA as a school that implements CRE have produced
an annual average of 50 grade school and 50 secondary school students from the
different Mangyan groups in 6 municipalities of Occidental Mindoro, according to a
2012 school administration report. It also describes the positive impact of
PAMANA KA on their Mangyan students (PAMANA KA Report 2012):
The students’ capacity to understand and speak English can be noted after 2 to 3 years from
a starting point of very poor comprehension, inadequate vocabulary and inability to express
themselves. Remarkable growth in self-confidence become evident in students who started
very shy to answer or to put their chin up but eventually become able to speak and face up
to people. Growth in the appreciation of their identity and culture, in the respect and value
for their elders is manifest in practice (p. 23).
Students who finished the course were able to go to College after PEPT (Phil. Educational
Placement Test) or A & E (Accreditation & Equivalency tests). One outstanding student
became eligible for College admission after 3 years of schooling in PAMANA KA. The
performance of Mangyan students who enter college in the public/private schools in San
Jose has changed the perception about Mangyans. They are commended not only for
academic achievement but for their notable attitudes and behaviour (p. 23).

The PAMANA KA report states that some alumni have proceeded to college and
have pursued degree programs such as Bachelor of Science in Secondary
Education, Accountancy, and Agriculture. Three of the college graduates are now
teachers of PAMANA KA, “continuing the tradition of culture-based education that
they have received” (PAMANA KA Report 2012, p. 24) while another serves as the
school’s accountant.
The report notes that the rest of their alumni are gainfully employed in other
schools or offices, and have now the capacity to help their families in their needs. It
also states that those who were not able to finish college or who dropped out have

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been capacitated enough to become leaders in their communities, ensuring that their
fellow Mangyans are not taken advantage of in transactions with lowlanders.
While an independent and in-depth study on the impact of PAMANA KA as an
institution that implements CRE is yet to be made, the school has already been
recognized by the Department of Education and other agencies for its work in IP
education. The latest award it received, in September 2012, was the Most
Outstanding Literacy Program Award handed out annually by the Department of
Education–Literacy Coordinating Council.
The National Literacy Awards was created in 1994 to encourage the develop-
ment and replication of creative and indigenous literacy programs through awards
and appropriate recognition (Jaro-Amor 2012). In accepting the award, Sr. Aristea
Bautista, School Directress who belongs to the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary
(FMM) said that PAMANA KA “has moved the Indigenous Peoples from the
margins to the center. It has contributed to the rewriting of the Mangyan story, from
being discriminated and set aside, now recognized, acclaimed, and given honor”
(Jaro-Amor 2012, p. 3).
PAMANA KA implements an indigenized curriculum (typology 4) in their
secondary school, where both the DepEd and IP competencies are articulated as
important goals for the students to learn. The elementary school curriculum, on the
other hand, exemplifies an IP curriculum (typology 5), one that is anchored on the
life of the community. For example, lessons in the different subject areas (Biology,
Social Studies, Music and the Arts, etc.) are developed around a yearly activity
where elders and parents bring their children to the forest for several days as part of
educating the young about indigenous resource management (e.g. what trees and
plants to protect because of their value) as well as the important skills of hunting
and fishing.
While DepEd competencies are consciously discussed, they take a backseat in
favor of IP competencies. As such, even their school calendar is in accordance with
the agricultural calendar of the community (other schools start the academic year in
June; PAMANA KA starts in August to allow their students to participate in
planting season from June to July). Learning the Mangyan way of life becomes the
main objective of implementing the curriculum, but in the process, students are also
trained to succeed in traditional schooling, and there is evidence that these students
perform well as they progress in elementary and then high school (Jaro-Amor
2012). The typologies indigenized curriculum and IP curriculum were adopted from
PAMANA KA.
PAMANA KA mathematics teachers go through a lot of effort in developing
culturally relevant lessons for their students. Researching practices and beliefs,
interview and validation with elders, immersion in community life are part of their
process of developing all their lessons (not only in mathematics). Every August
before the academic year starts, the school holds workshops for teachers with
invited volunteer resource persons to help in the review and updating of lessons and
modules.
For both the indigenized and IP curricula, the approach is the same—as much as
possible, mathematics lessons are given a cultural context that informs the

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discussion. Unlike in other subject areas where IP competencies take precedence

over DepEd competencies in Typology 5, in the mathematics curriculum of
PAMANA KA, students need to learn both IP and DepEd-prescribed competencies.
This reflects the administration’s belief on the importance of mathematics as a
subject that their Mangyan students need to learn.

8.4.1 Two Mathematics Lessons from PAMANA KA

Two mathematics lessons, one in a Grade 5 class and the other in a freshman high
school class, are briefly presented to show how PAMANA KA teachers go about
delivering culturally relevant mathematics lessons. I documented these lessons in
March 2012 at the high school campus in Dalog.
The Grade 5 math lesson was on Harvesting Rice and Honey, and Fractions. The
teacher is a Mangyan named Alma, herself a graduate of PAMANA KA. Teacher
Alma started the lesson with the question: What do we do in the month of October?,
resulting in a discussion on Mangyan practices of harvesting rice and honey; follow
up questions allowed students to discuss their different beliefs and practices about
rice and honey harvesting (students belong to different Mangyan groups) and the
material culture used in the practice; further questions led to a discussion on the
value of ensuring fair share among those who helped harvest, and the negative
effect of being greedy and wanting more than what is necessary.
The discussion on equitable sharing led smoothly to the discussion of fractions
and the operations with fractions. The following is an abridged transcript of the
discussion in class:
Teacher Alma “Tuwing buwan ng Oktubre, anu ano ang ginagawa nating
mga Mangyan ng sama sama?”.
(What activities do we engage in together in the month of
October?).
Students “Pag-aani ng palay at sitaw sa kaingin”.
(Harvest rice and string beans in the garden).
“Pag-aatas”.
(A method of catching fish in the river).
Teacher Alma picks “Anu-ano ang mga paniniwala at sistema natin hinggil sa
up on topic of rice pag-aani ng palay?”.
harvesting and asks
(What are the different Mangyan beliefs and practices on rice
harvesting?).
Students “Ipaalam sa pamayanan”.
(Inform the community).
“Huwag magsipol o kumain ng palay, baka magkasakit o
baka kainin ng daga ang palay”.

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(Don’t whistle or eat rice grains, you might get sick or rats
might attack the rice plant).
“Hatiin ang kaingin; ipapaani ang kalahati, ang kalahati ay
maiiwan sa may-ari”.
(Divide the garden into two; let the community harvest the
first half, the other half is for the garden owner).
Teacher Alma draws a garden of rice plants on the board, and divides the figure
into two.
Teacher Alma “Bago nahati, ang kaingin ay buo – ang tawag dito ay
whole; ang bahagi ng buo ay fraction”.
(Before dividing into two, the garden was whole; the part of
a whole is called fraction).
Teacher Alma writes Ang ‘1’ ay isang bahagi ng buo; ang tawag dito ay
‘1/2’ on the board, numerator. Ang numerator ang dami ng nakuha mula sa
and explains buo. Ang ‘2’ ay dalawang bahagi; ang tawag dito ay
denominator. Ang denominator “ang dami ng pagkakahati-
hati”. (The number 1 means one part; it is called the
numerator. The numerator indicates how many parts are
being taken away from the whole. The number 2 means two
parts of a whole; it is called the denominator. The
denominator is a number indicating how the whole should
be divided into parts).
To enrich the discussion further, teacher Alma shifts the discussion to harvesting
honey.
Teacher Alma “Ano ang tawag sa lalagyan ng polot o balakwas?”.
(What do we call the container for honey?).
Students “Fokfok”. One student draws a fokfok on the board.
Teacher Alma asks “Ano ang sistema natin sa hatian ng polot?”.
(What is our system in sharing the harvest of honey?).
Students “Depende sa dami ng kumuha; pare-pareho”.
(It depends on the number of persons who harvested; it should
be equally shared).
Teacher Alma “Kung 5 ang kumuha?”.
(If 5 people were involved in harvesting?).
Students “Lima ang maghahati-hati”.
(5 people will have to share equally).
Teacher Alma “Paano isusulat ang bahagi ng bawat isa?”.
(How should we write the share of each person?).

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One student writes 1/5 on the board.

Teacher Alma “Ano kaya ibig sabihin ng ‘2/5’?”.
(What could 2/5 possibly mean?).
The students are silent for a while, until teacher Alma probes further:
Teacher Alma “Maaari kaya kung ibibigay ng isa sa isa pang kasama ang
kanyang bahagi?”.
(Could it be a situation where one person gives his share to another
companions).
Students “Maaari!”.
(Yes, that is a possible explanation!).
From here, teacher Alma proceeded to discuss different types of fractions,
including the operations of addition and subtraction, making sure to relate the
discussion to honey harvesting whenever the opportunity arises.
Teacher Alma asks “Bakit kailangang pare-pareho ang hati? Ano ang mararam-
daman kung hindi?”.
(Why is it necessary to have equal sharing? What does one
feel if the harvest is not shared equally?).
Students “Inggit; galit; sama ng loob; makasarili”.
(Envy; anger; resentment; one is greedy).
Teacher Alma “Ano ang sabi ng gurangon? Dapat pare-pareho; kung ano
sa iyo, ganon din sa iba”.
(What do our elders say? We should always be fair with each
other; no one should have more than what the others have.).
She continues “Kung hindi, nasisira ang samahan; hindi na buo;
magkakahiwalay. Ang Mangyan ay dapat buo”.
(Otherwise, our relationships will be destroyed; we will no
longer be whole; there will be disunity. Mangyan should
always be one.).
In this mathematics lesson, the discussion did not end with fractions but with a
reminder about the importance of being just and fair in order to ensure unity among
the Mangyan, as exhorted by their elders.
The mathematics lesson for the first year high school students focused on
Algebraic Expressions. The teacher was Sister Ogie, a Franciscan nun, who started
the lesson by asking the students of their knowledge about harvesting cassava.
Sister Ogie Paano natin alam na may bunga ang tanim na kamoteng kahoy?
(When do we know that the cassava plant is ready to be harvested?).
Students Kung may mga bitak mula sa tanim.
(When there are cracks on the ground emanating from the plant)
Sister Ogie Gaano karami ang bunga?
(How many cassava tubers may be harvested?).

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Students Hindi natin alam. Maaring 3 o 4 na lalim ay may bunga.

(We would not know. There may be 3 to 4 layers of cassava tubers).
Sister Ogie Kung ganon, sa pag-ani ng cassava, ang alam lang natin ay ang
bitak; pero hindi natin alam kung ilan ang bunga. Tama ba?
(In other words, in harvesting cassava, we only know the number of
cracks on the ground; we would not know how many cassava roots
may be harvested. Is this correct?).
Sister Ogie draws a cassava plant with cracks on the ground and with three
layers of cassava tubers. She then explains the concepts of known and unknown
variables in the following manner:
Sa algebraic expressions, may mga known at unknown values. Gaya ng sa kamoteng
kahoy: yung bitak ang alam nating bilangin, yun ang known. Pero kung ilan ang bunga,
yun hindi natin alam, kaya unknown yun. (In algebraic expressions, there are known and
unknown values. In harvesting cassava, we could count the cracks on the ground; the cracks
are our known values. But we could not count the cassava roots below the ground, so those
are our unknown values).

The teacher then introduces the idea of variables by identifying the 3 layers as a,
b, and c.
Ang simbolong 5 ay nagsasaad na may limang bitak sa lupa. Sa bawat bitak, may 3
baytang na isusulat natin sa letrang a, b at c. Ang tawag dito ay variables. Yung 5 ay
known value, nabilang natin ang bitak, alam natin may limang bitak sa lupa. Yung vari-
ables, yun ang mga bunga na hindi natin alam kung ilan. Maaring iba iba ang bilang ng
bunga sa bawat baytang, kaya variable ang tawag sa kanila.
(The symbol 5 represents the five cracks on the ground. In each crack, there are 3 layers
which we denote by the letters a, b and c. These are called variables. The number 5 is a
known value because we were able to count the cracks, so we know there are 5 cracks. The
variables represent the cassava in each layer, which we could not count. We do not know
how many are there, and these could change in every layer. This is the reason why the
letters are called variables).

From there, the class discussed more examples of algebraic expressions. In this
lesson, an economic practice provided the relevant context to teach difficult
mathematics concepts like algebraic expressions and variable.
These are examples of culture-based lessons in a difficult subject like mathe-
matics. Western-trained mathematician are used to teaching these lessons in the
traditional way (usually devoid of context). In PAMANA KA, the attempt is to
discuss their mathematics lessons within a context (cultural/economic activity) that
are familiar to the students. The goal is that in each lesson, two competencies are
developed: an IP competency (reinforcing values and knowledge about cultural
practice) and school (or DepED) competency (understanding of fractions and
algebraic expressions).

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8.4.2 The Gohang National High School Experience

By virtue of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the DepED and the

UNESCO National Commission that was signed in February 2013, the Gohang
National High School in Banaue, Ifugao was designated as a Special Secondary
School for the Conservation of the Ifugao Rice Terraces. UNESCO provided grant
support for the transformation of GNHS into this special school, covering
(1) community engagement; (2) curriculum development; (3) training of school
management and teachers; and (4) advocacy and communications.
According to Project Terminal Report (2014), the GNHS teachers, the school
head and other implementers of the project underwent capacity building activities
on culture-based education and immersion and onsite learning and exposure in
selected IPEd initiatives in other areas. The community and other stakeholders were
also involved in developing the school’s educational philosophy and curriculum
framework that is appropriate to its designation as a special school.
The curriculum framework was designed so that the four quarters of the school
year coincide with the seasons in the agricultural cycle (i.e., Ahitulu, Iwang,
Lawang, and Tiyargo). This curriculum framework, as described in the Project
Terminal Report (2014), “underwent a serious process of reflection and discussion
among the school staff, elders and other community representatives” (p. iii).
Identifying aspects of their culture that shall become the framework for the school
curriculum is not an easy endeavor. As in other parts of the Cordillera, these are
serious matters for discussion especially by the elders.
Guided by the school’s aim, which is “to develop an ancestral domain-based,
culture-based and contextualized indigenous peoples’ education towards cultural
and global competence” (Project Terminal Report 2014, p. 44), it was clear early on
that the context of the curriculum would have to be Ifugao’s rice culture (and the
practice of rice terracing agriculture). With this in mind, it made sense to all those
involved in the discussions to anchor the curriculum framework on the commu-
nity’s agricultural cycle.

8.4.3 Personal Involvement in GNHS

In one of the capacity building workshops with GNHS teachers in November 2013,
I talked about ethnomathematics and how this may be used to develop mathematics
lessons in the context of rice terracing. I presented an ethnomathematical curricu-
lum model developed by Shehenaz Adam (2004) with some modifications (dis-
cussed in Sect. 8.5), and discussed the potential offered by considering rice
terracing agriculture as a system, identifying possible entry points for the devel-
opment of lessons under different subject areas.

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8 Ethnomathematics and Culturally Relevant Mathematics … 199

Almost a year later in October 2014, I again facilitated a workshop with all the
14 GNHS teachers (with 3 mathematics teachers) to process the experience of
implementing their curriculum framework. The workshop revealed some of the
difficulties they faced in applying the curriculum framework that was earlier
developed with the community and other stakeholders:
1. The lessons the teachers developed continued to be dictated by the DepEd
competencies: the curriculum framework was made to adjust to DepEd com-
petencies, and elements of the framework were used depending on what DepEd
competency is taught.
2. Lack of materials and resources: there are retrieved materials but are not par-
ticularly relevant to the experiences of the Gohang community; and
3. The teachers were adept with the DepEd competencies, but they have not agreed
on what IPEd competencies to cover in their lessons.
In general, their problem was how to use the curriculum framework, still con-
flicted on what their special school was aiming to do. In processing these expressed
difficulties, the teachers eventually arrived at some realizations:
1. The primary aim is a revitalization of Ifugao culture, expressed collectively thus:
“Our special school for the conservation of the rice terraces is symbolic of the
overall desire to perpetuate, revitalize, and enhance Ifugao culture not only for
our children and our people, but also for the nation and the world” (Gohang
teachers, 19 October 2014)
2. Expand awareness and understanding about other IPs in the Philippines, not to
focus only on Ifugao peoples and their culture. The curriculum shall foster
understanding about similarities and differences, for students to learn the
importance of diversity, foster respect for other cultures, and strengthen their
identity as IPs, as Filipinos, and as citizens of the world; and
3. The rice culture of the Ifugao is a fertile context that can arouse mathematical
thinking and investigation, possibly through mathematical modeling. Although
it may not be possible to do this for every cultural practice or activity related to
rice terracing, there is a wide range of possibilities that can be explored to
develop mathematics lessons. The students are already familiar, to a certain
extent, with their cultural practice. Linking this prior knowledge to mathematics
is giving them an opportunity to view their world in a different perspective,
while learning new concepts and skills in mathematics. At the same time,
important values, cultural practices and community perspectives are re-learned
and reinforced.
Guided by a framework that I used (discussed in the next section), the teachers
developed initial guide lessons using activities that coincided with the four seasons
in their agricultural cycle. The workshop seemed to have lifted a veil of doubt
among the teachers, and the framework for an ethnomathematical curriculum
appeared to have provided some clarity and confidence on how to approach the
development of lessons that are in line with the school’s curriculum.

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200 W.V. Alangui

The teachers of Gohang are being encouraged by the DepED to go easy, to take
baby steps, because realizing the IP Education Framework for their school, and
fully implementing the curriculum framework will take some time. But they are
anxious and they also know that they still have a lot of work to do to realize their
own revolution.

8.5 The Need for Theoretical Grounding

There is an important gap in grounding efforts to provide culturally relevant

mathematics in the context of IP education initiatives in the Philippines. The pursuit
of IP education is bolstered by a conviction that Indigenous peoples deserve an
education relevant and sensitive to their needs and realities.
The IPEd efforts by the schools involved in the study can be supported by
principles of Culturally Relevant Education, although this grounding has not been
articulated, except by PAMANA KA (and Kalahan Academy in northern Luzon,
one of the schools also visited by the study). This may explain the relative success
of these two schools compared to the others pursuing IPEd.
Not articulated in any of these IPEd schools is a theory that guides their efforts
for the development of cross-cultural/culturally relevant mathematics lessons, and
this lack of a clear theory may explain their less success in this area, exhibiting
dilemma on what to focus on, what topics to integrate or indigenize, and how to go
about their mathematics lessons. This has been a major challenge for the mathe-
matics teachers involved in the various IPEd schools and programs in the country,
in particular, in GNHS and to some extent, in PAMANA KA.

8.5.1 An Ethnomathematical Curriculum Model

Ethnomathematics can be described as the way people from a particular culture

have common systems for dealing with quantitative, relational, and spatial aspects
of their lives (Barton 1996). It follows what Knijnik (1997) describes as an eth-
nomathematical approach, one that is characterized by the investigation of the
traditions, practices, and mathematical concepts of a subordinated social group and
the pedagogical work, which was developed in order for the group to be able to
interpret and decode its knowledge.
The aim, according to Knijnik, is to acquire the knowledge produced by aca-
demic mathematicians, and to establish comparisons between its knowledge and
academic knowledge, thus being able to analyze the power relations involved in the
use of both these kinds of knowledge. Ethnomathematics can provide the theory
that is needed to support the pursuit of culturally relevant mathematics education in
the various IPEd initiatives in the country.

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The mathematics curriculum used in PAMANA KA is closest to the kind of

learning that the ethnomathematical practice wants to uphold and propagate. In this
model of learning mathematics, indigenous knowledge is an integral part of the
education process.
Adam (2004) developed an ethnomathematical curriculum model in her research
in Maldives, highlighting the integration of the mathematical concepts and practices
originating in the learner’s culture with those of conventional, formal academic
mathematics. Her assumption is that classrooms and other learning environments
cannot be isolated from the communities in which they are embedded, and students
come to school bringing with them values, norms and concepts they have acquired
as part of growing up.
In her ethnomathematical curriculum model, learners start from the experiences
they have from the environment, build upon these mathematical ideas, and ulti-
mately realizing and understanding the need for accuracy and the use of, say
formula, in mathematics and real-life situations. A schematic diagram of the model
is shown in Fig. 8.1.
The objective of her model is to allow students to become aware of how people
mathematize in their culture, and to use this awareness to learn about formal
mathematics. The students’ world provides opportunities for students to think
mathematically, and eventually connect these mathematical ideas to conventional
mathematics.
It is also possible that the connection of the mathematical activities in the culture
to conventional mathematics is straightforward; the activities are directly related to
existing concepts in conventional mathematics. However, the model also allows the
possibility of interrogating the activities for their inherent mathematical content,
which is then followed by analyzing its relationship to established mathematics.

Fig. 8.1 Framework for an ethnomathematical curriculum model. Source Adam (2004, p. 82)

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202 W.V. Alangui

The assumption is that a curriculum of this type will motivate students: (1) to
recognize mathematics as part of their everyday life; (2) enhance students’ ability to
make meaningful mathematical connections; and (3) deepen their understanding of
all forms of mathematics (Adam 2004). Thicker arrows in the diagram signify
mathematical connections (to conventional mathematics) and action (doing and
thinking mathematically) that emanate from the students’ context.
In the case of PAMANA KA, the activities that are used to provide context to the
mathematics lessons do not immediately lend themselves to be mathematical.
Harvesting honey, rice plants or cassava harvesting are activities that are at once
economic and cultural: economic because it is related to the livelihood of the
people, cultural because of the beliefs and values surrounding each practice. In
Gohang, rice terracing agriculture and associated practices like water management,
while highly developed, are not mathematical. However, these practices become the
platform to discuss mathematics, inviting the students to think mathematically, and
to link this mathematical thinking to conventional mathematics.

8.5.2 A Modified Framework

I provide a slight modification of the Adam (2004) framework for an ethnomath-

ematical curriculum model to widen the scope of possibilities for mathematical
thinking and linking with conventional mathematics. In this framework, we expand
the source of mathematical thinking by expanding the students’ world to include all
cultural activities. Figure 8.2 shows a modified framework for an ethnomathe-
matical curriculum model.

Fig. 8.2 A modified framework for an ethnomathematical curriculum model

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8 Ethnomathematics and Culturally Relevant Mathematics … 203

This framework allows for a wider set of cultural practices or activities as

possible take off points in the discussion of mathematical ideas. Cultural practices
may not always be mathematical, hence the connection from (1) students’ world to
conventional mathematics, as well as the connection between (2) activities from
other cultures and conventional mathematics, are no longer straight forward (rep-
resented here by the dashed arrows), but the contention is that some cultural
practices, especially those that are highly systematized and have survived through
time, may lend itself for mathematical analysis (Barton 1996). Similar to Fig. 8.1,
the thicker arrows in this diagram (including the dashed arrow) signify mathe-
matical connections and action emanating from the students’ context.
In Alangui (2010), the practices of stonewalling and water management in
Agawa, Besao, Mountain Province in the Cordillera region, northern Philippines,
were investigated for possible alternative mathematical conceptions. The new
model permits such kinds of investigations. Also in this new model, mathematical
thinking is reflected back onto the students’ world of cultural activities, establishing
comparison of both kinds of knowledge (and how possibly, one can inform the
other, and vice versa). In general, the aim is to determine how the ideas that are
embedded in a cultural practice might relate to conventional mathematics.

8.5.3 Using the Framework to Organize Culturally Relevant

Mathematics Lessons

It is possible to develop culturally relevant mathematics lessons using the modified

framework (Fig. 8.2). Three examples of Guide Lessons are presented below. The
first example comes from PAMANA KA, using Mangyan’s knowledge about
cassava harvesting and fishing to develop mathematical lessons. The last two are
from GNHS, developed during the workshop in October 2014. In these lessons,
both IP and DepEd competencies and standards are responded to.
Guide Lesson 1

IP Competency: Community Knowledge on Harvesting Cassava and Fishing

DepEd Competency: Variation

Harvesting Cassava (Pag-aani ng Kamoteng Kahoy)

Fishing (Paghuli ng Isda)
Students’ Description of the activity; Ways (pamamaraan) of harvesting
world practices, beliefs, knowledge and tubers and fishing; materials and
activities in skills needed in the conduct of the tools (gamit) used; associated
their culture activity beliefs (paniniwala) and traditional
knowledge and practices (talang
kaalaman at kaugalian)
(continued)

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204 W.V. Alangui

(continued)
Harvesting Cassava (Pag-aani ng Kamoteng Kahoy)
Fishing (Paghuli ng Isda)
Thinking Qualitative, relational and spatial Knowledge harvesting cassava: As
mathematically concepts in the activity the number of cracks increase, there
is bigger chance of harvesting more
cassava (habang dumadami ang
bitak ng lupa, mas marami ang
mahuhukay na ube)
Harvest about fishing in the river:
The more water in the river, the less
fish to catch; the less water, the
more fish to catch (habang
dumadami ang tubig sa ilog,
kumukonti ang huling isda at kapag
kaunti lang ang tubig sa ilog, mas
maraming nahuhuli)
Conventional Direct and inverse variation Mathematics lesson on variation;
mathematics types of variation; examples
Valuing (Pagpapahalaga): Why is
there a need to learn variation?
(Bakit kailangang matutunan ang
variation?); Where else do we see
or experience variation? (Saan saan
eto nakikita o nararasan?)
Drill (Pagsasanay)
Activities from Description of how other How do other ethnolinguistic
other cultures ethnolinguistic groups (especially groups harvest cassava; how do
in a heterogeneous classroom or they fish? What are their beliefs and
setting) do the activity; practices, practices; what knowledge and
beliefs, knowledge and skills skills are involved; what materials
needed in the conduct of the are used? Differences in ways and
activity methods, materials, and beliefs
(pagkakaiba-iba ng pamamaran,
gamit at paniniwala); similarities
(pagkakapare-pareho)

Guide Lesson 2

IP Competency: Community knowledge on stonewalling

DepEd Competency: Measurements, Slope, Area

Stone walling (Menkabiti/Mentupeng)

Students’ Description of the activity; Activities related to the
world practices, beliefs, knowledge and construction of stonewalls;
activities in skills needed in the conduct of the materials; beliefs; profile and role
their culture activity of practitioners
(continued)

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8 Ethnomathematics and Culturally Relevant Mathematics … 205

(continued)
Stone walling (Menkabiti/Mentupeng)
Thinking Qualitative, relational and spatial • Height of stonewall: How do
mathematically concepts in the activity decide on the height? How do we
measure?
• Inclination: How do we decide on
the angle of inclination? How do
we measure?
• Area of rice paddy (payeo): How
do we measure area? Why is area
of the payeo important? What is
the relationship of height of
stonewall and area of payeo?
Conventional Lengths and measurements, Slope, Mathematics lesson on lengths and
mathematics Perimeter and Area measurements, slope, perimeter and
area; examples
Valuing (Pagpapahalaga): Why is
it important to learn about
measurements, slope and area?
Where else do we use length,
inclination, area?
Drill (Pagsasanay)
Activities from Description of how other How do other ethnolinguistic
other cultures ethnolinguistic groups (especially groups build stonewalls? What are
in a heterogeneous classroom or their beliefs and practices; what
setting) do the activity; practices, knowledge and skills are involved;
beliefs, knowledge and skills what materials are used?
needed in the conduct of the Differences in ways and methods,
activity. materials, and beliefs (pagkakaiba-
iba ng pamamaran, gamit at
paniniwala); similarities
(pagkakapare-pareho)

Guide Lesson 3

IP Competency: Beliefs about Full Moon

DepEd Competency: Circle

Full moon (Ongar Di Bulan)

Students’ Description of the activity; What activities are allowed during a
world practices, beliefs, knowledge and full moon (ongar di bulan)? What
activities in skills needed in the conduct of the activities are not allowed? What
their culture activity other beliefs are there about a full
moon?
Thinking Qualitative, relational and spatial What is the shape of a full moon?
mathematically concepts in the activity What other objects are similar to the
shape of a full moon? In
mathematics, the shape of a full
(continued)

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206 W.V. Alangui

(continued)
Full moon (Ongar Di Bulan)
moon is called a circle. Do we have
a name for a circle in our language?
How do we graph a circle?
Introduction of the formula of a
circle
Conventional Circle Mathematics lesson on circles;
mathematics formula of a circle; examples
Valuing (Pagpapahalaga): Why is
it important to learn about circles?
Drill (Pagsasanay)
Activities from Description of how other In other ethnolinguistic groups,
other cultures ethnolinguistic groups (especially what activities are allowed during a
in a heterogeneous classroom or full moon (ongar di bulan)? What
setting) do the activity; practices, activities are not allowed? What
beliefs, knowledge and skills other beliefs are there about a full
needed in the conduct of the moon? Differences in beliefs and
activity practices (pagkakaiba-iba ng
paniniwala at kaugalian);
similarities (pagkakapare-pareho)

The guide lessons above are examples of how the framework could help teachers
organize and develop culturally relevant mathematics lessons out of a cultural practice
or activity from the students’ world or context. A template could be developed based
on the framework, reflecting the four components: (1) Students’ world (activities in
their culture); (2) Thinking mathematically; (3) Conventional mathematics; and
(4) Activities from other cultures. This template could be used as a starting point to
develop more detailed mathematics lessons focusing on the connections between
cultural practice, mathematical thinking, and conventional mathematics.
In PAMANA KA, the lessons developed by mathematics teachers reflect these
components of the framework, with additional elements like Valuing
(Pagpapahalaga) and Drill (Pagsasanay). The template is also guiding the GNHS
teachers in their initial effort to develop mathematics lessons in the context of their
being a special school for the conservation of the rice terraces.

8.6 Conclusion

What role can ethnomathematics play in IP education in the Philippines? My

involvement in IP education efforts since 2011 has made me realize the difficulties
faced by mathematics teachers in developing cross-cultural or culturally relevant
mathematics lessons. My experiences with teachers in PAMANA KA, as well as
my initial engagement with GNHS teachers, suggest that ethnomathematics may
be used as a theory for culturally relevant mathematics education within IP edu-
cation initiatives in the Philippines.

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My discussions about the theory of ethnomathematics and my use of a modified

framework for an ethnomathematical curriculum model (Adam 2004) show
potential in providing direction and guidance to such efforts. Gohang mathematics
teachers are developing lessons in the context of their rice terracing practice fol-
lowing this framework. After our discussions, PAMANA KA teachers and
administration found the theory of ethnomathematics to be relevant to and sup-
portive of their efforts at mathematics education in their school. Sr. Aristea Bautista,
the PAMANA KA administrator expressed it succinctly after learning about eth-
nomathematics: there’s a theory behind what we are doing!
As a final note, developing culturally relevant mathematics education for
Indigenous students can only succeed and become effective if done within the
context of a broader IP education program. The Department of Education is doing
this precisely with its aggressive push for IP education within the context of the
recently initiated K-12 program. There is a challenge to train more Filipino teachers
in the theory of ethnomathematics for them to help advance culturally relevant
mathematics education within the context of a comprehensive Indigenous peoples’
education program.

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