Accepting the Other: Different Division Expression

This article describes some experiences in my work close to the forest indigenous people of Brazil and these descriptions are possible because ethnomathematics′s theory is based in Paulo Freire′s method and anthropology. Gathered at an indigenous people‘s meeting point, I gave some classes on mathematics teacher pre-service education to a group of 19 people with 13 different languages. I began the didactic work with drawings and observed different drawings associated with people of different languages. This article showsrepresentational differences in the algorithm of division. The representations, combined with idiom, myth, and affect, combine to illustrate cultural influences in mathematical education. This demonstrates the need for teachers in classrooms to be aware of people of different languages and cultures. Teachers need to be sensitive and respectful of linguistic and cultural difference, and to demonstrate solidarity, cooperation, and respect towards different students. A new posture in mathematical teaching is implied.