First-in-the-world Ethnomathematics Program

Does Hōkūle‘a connect with mathematics and culture? Yes it does. “The future vision of ethnomathematics in Hawai’i and the world is for Hawai’i to be the piko or the center and as we use ethnomathematics as a catalyst for positive change in the communities that we are endeavoring to serve,” –Linda Furuto, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa professor and Hōkūleʻa Education Specialist and Apprentice Navigator.

In 2018, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa College of Education began offering a graduate certificate and the first academic program in the world in ethnomathematics. In late 2018, the Hawai‘i Teacher Standards Board (HTSB) approved adding a field of licensure in ethnomathematics. Applications for the ethnomathematics graduate certificate are now open at https://outreach.hawaii.edu/ethnomathematics/.

“I think it’s fantastic that the Hawai‘i Teachers Standards Board has added mathematics as a field, because it just validates everything that we’re doing. It emphasizes the importance of integrating culture in our school curricula, especially in math, which is a subject that culture isnʻt really seen in,” said Michelle Phillips, Hawai‘i CC biology instructor.

For about this ethnomathematics 11-month graduate certificate, visit https://outreach.hawaii.edu/ethnomathematics/