Rainforest Mathematics

Abstract

This paper addresses the contested way that ethnomathematics has sometimes been received by mathematicians and others and what that disagreement might suggest about issues in mathematics education; namely, (a) the relation of ethnomathematics to academic mathematics; (b) recent efforts to reform secondary school mathematics so that it prepares students better for entering the workplace; and (c) claims that mathematics and mathematics education are coming to share increasingly less common ground. Note: Based on a colloquium presentation at Teachers College on 13 October 2014. The presentation was dedicated to Ubiritan D’Ambrosio, who received the International Mathematics Education Achievement Award at the Columbus Day Symposium containing the colloquium. I am grateful to Bruce Vogeli and Henry Pollak for inviting and introducing my contribution and to Bowen Liu and Hyunjung (Julie) Kim for transcribing my remarks. The remaining flaws are my own.