Fostering Environmental Awareness in a Primary Grade Mathematics Classroom: A Critical Mathematics Education (CME) Approach

The most pressing environmental problem on our planet today is pollution and climate change. Accordingly, the concept of a circular economy is worthy of acknowledgement and advocacy within the school environment, starting from the foundational years of learning up to critical pedagogy. The National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023 further emphasises the significance for students to learn and look after the environment as part of the global Agenda 2030 SDG 13 Climate Action. This study applies a Critical Mathematics Education (CME) approach to promote environmental consciousness and responsibility (Shimray, 2016), through the usage of plastic waste pollution data. The study aims to promote sensitivity to climate change by closing the distance between mathematics taught at schools and the environment through developing tasks on the principles of CME. These tasks include real data regarding plastic waste generation, and encourage the relation between mathematical concepts and environmental problems. The study further explores the role of mathematics in promoting sustainability and critical thinking. This qualitative study involved pre-task interviews, a week-long family survey of plastic use, and statistical evidence of plastic wastage in worksheets presented in both textual and graphic formats supported with post-task reflection for 18 fifth grade learners. The results indicated that students became aware of the scope of plastic pollution and how it affects the environment, and they accepted the large use of plastic in their lives, with many accepting that the reduction, reuse, and recycling of plastic is of utmost importance. Through making maths relatable to real-life situations, students enhance important problem-solving skills towards sustainability, aiding the development of eco-friendly future citizens in support of global climate action targets.