Mathematics Conceptions by Teachers from an Ethnomathematical Perspective

Abstract The ethnomathematical perspective implies substantial epistemological changes in mathematics conception with respect to the positivist tradition. This research focuses on a workshop for pre-service teachers, designed and developed under the ethnomathematical perspective, and which promotes reflection on the nature of mathematical knowledge. To that end, we analyzed the teachers’ answers about the nature of the mathematics described after the participation in this workshop. First, we identified some characteristic approaches of mathematics from the ethnomathematical perspective - the practical, social, and cultural approaches - and then used them to analyze the participants’ observations, which are considered as evidence of their conceptions about the nature of mathematical knowledge. Later, we grouped participants in profiles defined in relation to the incorporation of mathematics approaches according to Ethnomathematics. In conclusion, the workshop is shown as an environment conducive to reflection.