Learning mathematics in Papiamentu

A patrioonchi (pronounced ‘patrone-chie’) is a net, and a plan view is simply an ariba (meaning ‘above’). It can be difficult to find the right words for mathematical concepts in Papiamentu.

Papiamentu is the local language of the Leeward Islands of Bonaire and Curaçao in the Dutch Antilles, and of nearby Aruba (although there it is spelled ‘Papiamento’). For pupils at schools where Dutch is the main language of instruction, Papiamentu is the language that you speak among yourselves outside of lessons; the language of life and of the streets, a unique language with influences from Portuguese, Spanish, English and Dutch. There is one high school on Curaçao where all instruction is given in Papiamentu. This has come about both from an ideological perspective (it promotes a positive sense of Antillean identity) and for practical reasons, because Papiamentu is the lingua franca of most of the pupils in the neighbourhood around the school. It is a deprived area, with people originating from many countries in Central and South America as well as the other Caribbean islands: refugees, migrant workers, and those simply seeking a better life.

Two highly experienced maths teachers – Pieter en Lloyd – with their years of experience built up in schools where Dutch is the language of instruction, discover and devise new words in Papiamentu for mathematical concepts every day and in every lesson. Dutch textbooks – the well-known Netwerk series – are used in class, but speaking and writing are in Papiamentu. An unconventional combination, but it works. When I, being Dutch, walk around and talk with the pupils, they effortlessly switch to the Dutch language. The atmosphere in the lessons I visited was excellent. The teachers had authority, they showed and received respect, and the pupils were highly motivated to learn maths. There was an outstanding learning climate, in which the pupils were fully engaged in discovering mathematics together with the teacher, both in terms of mathematical knowledge and concepts and their associated terminology.

Decisions have to be made. Do you follow the Spanish approach in the naming of mathematical concepts, or the English model, or the Dutch? Arbitrary choices, you might say, but in reality it’s not so simple. In Dutch, a hoek (pronounced ‘hook’) can be a corner, of a table for example, or an angle in a (mathematical) diagram. That can be very confusing for the pupils. There is no such ambiguity in English, with separate terms for ‘corner’ and ‘angle’. In Papiamentu, the choice fell on huki.

After all, the mathematician and scientist Simon Stevin introduced many new words for mathematical concepts into the Dutch language: words that say what they mean. In Dutch, the equivalent expression for ‘isosceles triangle’ is literally ‘equal-sided triangle’, and that says more than the English term, which is itself derived from Greek.

Sometimes it’s a struggle, but above all it’s a voyage of discovery. Pieter and Lloyd have little time to consult with one another and make collective decisions for mathematics in the Papiamentu language. In-service training or guided study time set aside for this would be highly desirable.

In-service education and training on Curacao, both oriented towards professional development and more generally pedagogic, is provided by, among others, the NA-CSI (Netherlands Antilles Center for School Improvement), a partner organisation of the APS. Schools pay for the education and training, and NA-CSI provides the courses, with a regular input of expertise from the APS. For the staff of APS, this is inspirational work. It’s excellent for developing one’s capacity for self-reflection, and also for trialling and testing ideas and experiences from the Dutch educational context in a different setting.

Information: Martin van Reeuwijk, APS (m.vanreeuwijk@aps.nl) and Els van Oostrum,

NA-CSI (elsvanoostrum@na-csi.nl)