Abstract Objectives: To identify difficulties in mathematics teaching and to develop an ethnomathematics-based, culturally relevant program for geographically isolated schools. Methods: The participants were eleven purposively selected mathematics teachers from elementary and secondary schools in Island School, Western Visayas, Philippines. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions, classroom observations, and document analysis were used to collect data. The data were thematically analyzed using the procedure of Braun and Clarke. Findings: The teachers stated that the lack of foundational skills, absenteeism, limited parental support, learning losses from modular instruction, and challenges in implementing contextualization remained a challenge. The majority of teachers reported gaps in basic numeracy skills, absences, and low parental engagement as ongoing barriers to continuity in learning. Furthermore, the need to review prerequisite concepts accounted for instructional delays of about 2 to 6 weeks. In response, innovations were developed, such as remedial instruction, peer tutoring, mobile learning hubs, and culturally grounded teaching. These interventions were reported to lead to significant changes in the students’ engagement, participation, and conceptual understanding. The study resulted in the development of the “Kaalam Halin sa Kultura” program, a culturally responsive program that incorporates community knowledge in teaching mathematics. Results suggest that ethnomathematics-based and contextualized approaches enhance relevance, inclusiveness, and instructional effectiveness in resource-constrained settings. Novelty: This paper provides qualitative evidence on teachers’ interactions and observations to address how a culturally responsive-ethnomathematics-based approach can narrow equity gaps and increase the relevance of instructional practices. It describes a local ethnomathematics program drawing ideas from teachers' innovations in geographically isolated schools across the Philippines. Keywords: Mathematics education, Ethnomathematics, Culturally relevant teaching, Learning gaps, Teacher innovation
Magnate et al. (Wed,) studied this question.