Critical approach in mathematical education in an indigenous school

Abstract

This article encourages a reflection on the challenges facing mathematical education in an indigenous school in a Kaingang community located in the Xapeco indigenous land area in Ipuacu (SC), and the possibilities of insertion, into the environment of the classroom, of discussions related to the roles played by mathematics in indigenous society. For this purpose, we present contributions from critical mathematical education regarding three fundamental issues: the sociopolitical context of mathematical education (globalization and ghetto-ization), competencies that should be associated with mathematical education (mathemacy) and foreground of indigenous students. The understanding that the practices and the production of mathematical knowledge occur in all cultures is one of the mainstays of this study, which is based on the theoretical foundations of Ethnomathematics.