Abstract:

Several studies confirm that, in postcolonial territories, students experience significant difficulties in mathematics. This deficit in terms of skills has a negative impact on the human, social and economic development of a community. The problem is more evident in French oversea departments and former colonies, where difficulties in learning are linked to an educational ecosystem that bear the mark of the legacy of colonialism and a peripheral position that has not allowed for the development of educational structures and resources adapted to local specificities.

The aim of the paper is to present the first results of the Africa2020 project on mental Calculation, funded by the French Ministry of Culture. Within the framework of this project, an in-depth study was conducted in 15 elementary school classes in the academy of Martinique, a french overseas territory. The objectives consisted in analyzing the teaching practices of teachers but also the perceptions of pupils and their parents regarding mathematics in general and mental calculation in particular. The survey methodology included a questionnaire which allowed us to draw a true picture of the 15 teachers involved with a focus on their relationship with mathematics and their mental calculation teaching methods.

Several criteria were followed in this exercise:
- the teacher's relationship with mathematics
- the initial and ongoing training of teachers on the subject of mental calculation
- the teaching materials, resources and methods used to prepare mental calculation sessions
- the pedagogical organizations used for the various processes of developing students’ mental calculation abilities
- the role of manipulation in mental calculation activities
- the role of games in mental calculation activities
- examples of games that foster students’ acquisition of mental calculation skills

The results suggest that teachers in Martinique primary schools feel comfortable with this area of mathematics and their practices show that educational games are now part of the teaching materials mainly used to get students practice mental calculation. Basic memorization activities coexist with other processes, which confirm that, in this particular field, teachers "innovate" with various pedagogical approaches, more or less contextualized, by trying to adapt ministerial ordinances (the French official programs) to the reality of the field, and particularly with respect to the heterogeneity of classes.

Overall, the analysis of the results will allowed us to present the different pedagogical approaches to mental calculation teaching in the specific context of the academy of Martinique.

Keywords:

Mental calculation, didactics of mathematics, education, postcolonial, France, Martinique.