Greek Math Visit

Credit: movie trailer My Big Fat Greek Wedding

     It is all Greek to me! Well, not anymore now that I have had a couple of weeks visiting math class in an elementary school on a small island in Greece. 

     Just like the lively character, Gus Portokalos, in the original movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding proudly stated several times, something like “give me a word, any word, and I’ll show you that the root of that word is Greek.” The difference in this case, is there is no need for making the connection because it is Greek! 

     In Greek, the names of numbers are straightforward and follow a logical pattern that is meaningful in making it easier to find patterns and make sense of numbers. In the world of Greek numbers, 11 is literally “one after ten” (έντεκα – enteka). It’s as if the numbers themselves are cheering you on, saying, “You got this, keep going!” This simplicity and directness in the naming of numbers helps create a smooth transition for students as they progress through their mathematical journey.

     Now, let’s take a closer look at the Greek number system. The basic structure is rooted in the ancient Greek words for the numbers one through ten: ένα (ena), δύο (dyo), τρία (tria), τέσσερα (tessera), πέντε (pente), έξι (exi), επτά (epta), οκτώ(okto), εννέα (ennea), and δέκα (deka). Each number seamlessly builds upon the previous one, creating a sense of continuity and harmony in mathematical progression.

     Witnessing Greek students navigating through this numeric dance was interesting. The atmosphere of the classroom was like a Greek family gathering. Students worked through many problems during my visits including adding and subtracting multi digit and decimal numbers, dividing using 3 digitdividends and single digit divisors, and measurements of weight and distance. When doing conversions from kilometers to meters I wanted to tell them all how lucky they are that they use the metric system as it easily converts using multiples of ten. 

     The cultural and geographical relevance represented in the problems posed to students seemed effortless. In one example, students were asked to compare distances of marathon runners. In doing so, the problem mentioned a Spanish and Swedish runner. Many students were already familiar with Spain and Sweden through personal experience or by knowing the geography of Europe and the European Community. It seemed very similar to American students knowing about the 50 states. Students who did not know had access to the maps of Europe and the world. Once again, the atmosphere was much like a Greek family gathering where the other European countries were considered as members of the extended family. 

     Overall, it was a wonderful experience to see how Greek students learn math and I am grateful to the Ministry of Education for approving my visit. Opa!