Exploring Mathematics in Motherly Nature: An Autoethnographic Inquiry

Exploring Mathematics in Motherly Nature: An Autoethnographic Inquiry, portrays my experience of learning and teaching mathematics as a student, teacher, teacher educator and researcher. More specifically, it focuses on my journey to gender-sensitive and culturally inclusive mathematics pedagogy for Nepalese Schools. My journey starts from my realization of prevailing 'anti-motherly' (sic) mathematics and transforms into culturally responsive and gender sensitive teacher, researcher and teacher educator. I have used critical autoethnography as the genres of writing and research method that connects the personal to the cultural placing the self within a social context. With the main focus on my educational journey, I have used multiple genres, such as story, poem and dialogue to represent my lived experiences. This study has changed my belief about reality (ontology), my perspective of ways and nature of knowing (epistemology), and my views about possibilities for connecting schooled and 'unschooled' knowledge of mathematics (pedagogy). More so, I have tried to incorporate various qualities of an effective, constructive, culturally-inclusive and gender sensitive teacher.