Ethomathematics, curriculum and social practices in the “world of civil constuction”

Abstract

This article resulted from a master’s research done at Graduate Studies Program in Education that involved a group of young adult and adult construction workers who were also students of an Adult Education Course in the evenings. The research goals were to examine how mathematical knowledge was produced in social practices developed in construction sites and to analyze the possible curricular implications that could be inferred from these modes of production. The analysis also incorporated some dimensions present in this social sphere. This incorporation was based on the understanding of the relevance of linking Mathematics Education with the culture of the group that was the research subject. Theoretical references to Ethnomathematics and current reflections relating the curriculum to cultural studies were used to discuss and analyze the empirical data. This discussion is fruitful when it leads to a reflection about the educators’ social, political and cultural commitment, particularly the educators involved in Popular Education.

Key words: Ethnomathematics, Cultural Studies, Social Practices, Civil Construction.