Rethinking the Role of Shona Cultural Games and Activities in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics at ECD Level in a Selected District in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe

The qualitative study explored the role of Shona cultural games and activities in the teaching and learning of mathematics at ECD level in a selected district in Manical and Province, Zimbabwe. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was done to ten purposively sampled research participants. The questionnaire with qualitative questions and semi-structured in-depth interviews were used for data collection. The cultural games that participants used included arauru or pada, the play button game, Playing house (mamhuza) Tsoro or draft zairakaora, Nhodo /inota, sarurawako help learners to learn the concepts of balancing, mass and weight; observation, concentration, adding and subtraction in mathematics. Cultural activities which the respondents included making brushes/brooms using grass or reed (tsanga) pot making using clay, making fire places using mud or stones, Winnowing, to teach sets, shapes, area and direction. The study recommends that ECD caregivers should continue engaging pupils to participate in cultural games such as ‘nhodo’,’pada’, ‘mahumbwe’ and many other cultural activities that are found within their cultural context, with the norms and values of their society, which develop the holistic child. There is also need for teachers to make mathematics more relevant by linking it with activities familiar to the students so that they become motivated to do the subject. Teachers need to move away from the chalk and talk way of teaching mathematics and try to involve the learners as much as possible, informed about the research results, which show the existence of mathematical ideas in different cultures.