Reaching the 21st century students in the United Arab Emirates: using Ethnomathematics through #Innovation

Abstract

We in the College of Education at Zayed University are committed to excellence. With that in mind, we developed a very ambitious project to create an IOS math app to encourage grade six Emirati students to engage with mathematics. Additionally, our project aimed to provide Emirati students (boys and girls) opportunities to explore mathematics based on modules grounded in the Emirati culture. More specifically, the IOS math app contained three modules - Henna (in Arabic حنة ), Prayer Beads (مسبحة), and Bamboo Baskets (سلال البامبو ). The Henna explored geometric transformations; Prayer Beads investigated patterns in Algebra, and Bamboo Baskets examined circumference, diameter, reading a ruler, and where does pi come from. This paper will provide a detail description and project justifications. Along with a short analysis of the grade six Emirati students’ henna designs, as the designs relate to geometric transformations.