Lávvu as a teaching arena: Identification of mathematical activities

Abstract

Teachers at Guovdageaidnu lower secondary school cooperated with researchers in translating Bishop’s mathematical activities from English into North Sámi. In this paper, we conduct a investigation of how the Sámi translations of mathematical activities work, and we explore whether the suggested verbs are sufficient. The context in our study is a teaching unit in lávvu—a traditional Sámi dwelling—where the teaching was carried out by lower secondary school students. The analysis reveals that one more Sámi word is needed to fully cover the meaning of the activity ‘locating’. In addition, two Sámi words and not one, are needed to cover the meaning of the activity ‘designing’. The analysis also indicates how these translations may open an extension of Bishop’s framework in English.