What is MACIMISE?

Abstract

Mathematics and Culture in Micronesia: Integrating Societal Experiences (MACIMISE) was a collaborative research and development project led by Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) and the University of Hawai`'i at Manoa. It was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant No. 0918309). Founded on ethnomathematics research, the project aimed to improve mathematics teaching and learning for first-, fourth-, and seventh-grade elementary school students in ten Pacific island groups. The project team included 21 master's and doctoral students from the region who developed and field-tested culturally and linguistically sustaining grade-level curriculum units in mathematics topics such as numbers and counting, division of whole numbers and fractions, and geometry. Project leaders and advisors provided feedback as graduate students developed and piloted lessons. Associated research focused on the indigenous mathematics learning experiences embedded within the respective island communities. The late Dr. Sandy Dawson (PREL, University of Hawai`'i) and Dr. Thomas Craven (University of Hawai`i) were the original Principal Investigators of MACIMISE. Dr. Donald Rubinstein (PREL; University of Guam) took over for Sandy Dawson in November 2014. This article, taken from reporting on the project by Sandy Dawson, gives background and framing for the articles in this special issue.