Filling the gap between global and local mathematics

Conferência realizada em Larnaca (Chipre) de 22-26 de fevereiro de 2007The changing cultural contexts of today’s societies demand new roles of schooling but also require new attitudes and ways of interaction with different social groups, their knowledge and values. Teachers are central figures in the educative process that mediate knowledge and social interaction between individuals in classrooms that are more and more multicultural. The main argument of this paper is that in order to facilitate students’ understanding of mathematical knowledge it is crucial to develop teaching approaches that enable students to draw in their local mathematics. To address this issue, I analyze recent investigation focused on the mental calculus of Portuguese gypsy children. Next, I relate it with situations that require global mathematical knowledge and with ways of teachers’ training to interconnect different kinds of mathematical knowledge.FCT/FACC- Fundo de Apoio à comunidade científica Proc 06/5/125