@misc{10481/103461,
year = {2025},
month = {3},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/103461},
abstract = {Ethnomathematics, as a field of study, promotes recognizing the diversity in ways
of thinking and doing mathematics, challenging the hierarchies and exclusions typical of
traditional mathematics education. This research explores the practice of juggling, specifically
analyzing three-ball juggling sequences to uncover the mathematical structures and
patterns embedded in this ancient art form. In a social association during a workshop, two
jugglers and seven juggling learners interact with one of the researchers, a mathematics
educator, to co-construct a shared model establishing a symmetrical dialogue based on the
Alangui’s principles of “mutual interrogation” between the practice of juggling and the
domain of mathematics. The knowledge exchange process is envisioned as a “barter” where
both the mathematics educator and the jugglers contribute their unique perspectives to generate
new and hybrid understandings. With a qualitative approach, from the analysis of the
data collected during the ethnographic field work (notes, audiovisual recordings) emerges
how the initial model, created by mathematicians and jugglers, was reinterpreted to better
align with the cultural community’s practice. The research revealed that juggling serves
as a concrete context for exploring abstract mathematical concepts and that mathematical
analysis of juggling sequences helps jugglers gain a deeper understanding of underlying
structures, enhancing their creativity. The hybrid model developed in this study offers a
promising resource to integrating ethnomathematical perspectives into formal mathematics
education, fostering a more situated and engaging learning experience for students.},
organization = {Unidad de Excelencia
de Investigación del Campus Universitario de Melilla (UECUMel), reference code: UCE-PP2024-02},
organization = {Ministero dell’Istruzione e delMerito: grant number Com. Study n. 11467/Liceo Istituto Superiore I.I.S.S. “E.Majorana”},
publisher = {MDPI},
keywords = {Model},
keywords = {Juggling},
keywords = {Ethnomathematics},
title = {Juggling Balls and Mathematics: An Ethnomathematical Exploration},
doi = {10.3390/educsci15030387},
author = {Zito, Giovanna and Albanese, Verónica},
}