Lávvu and mathematics

Abstract

<p><i>Sápmi</i> is the Sámi term for the Sámi homeland and society, the land area extends from Central Norway, Sweden and Finland to the Kola Peninsula in Russia. In Norway, the Sámi as a population has status as an indigenous people, which means that the Sámi have the right to develop their own culture and language on their own premises. Traditionally the Sámi people has lived as hunters and gatherers and in connection with this, they lived a nomadic life. The <i>lávvu</i> is a temporary dwelling, and the design of it reflects the Sámi culture as a community. Families travel in small groups, and the <i>lávvu</i> is designed so that even one person could quickly set it up with little effort. <p>Teachers at a Sámi school in northern part of <i>Sápmi</i> in Norway have for several years developed teaching units for all grades in lower secondary school with <i>lávvu</i> as an overall theme. When students attend their last year at lower secondary school, they develop their own teaching unit in mathematics with the <i>lávvu</i>. This study builds on research by Fyhn et al. (2016), Fyhn, Meaney, Nystad, and Jannok Nutti (2017), and Jannok Nutti et al. (2015), where the Sámi culture founds basis for mathematics in school. The research question investigated hereis: How do students use the <i>lávvu</i> in mathematics teaching?