The Botetano arithmetic method: introduction and early evidence*

In Peru, national assessments repeatedly rank Indigenous mathematics students as the lowest performing across entirety of Latin America and South America. Whereas lack financial resources often predicts low measures, history educational practice teaches us that students’ poverty need not predict their outcomes – creative instructional approaches may turn tables. Here we report on an innovative, body-based arithmetic technique, Botetano Method, has been enabling rural children from remote mountainous regions Peru to match even greatly surpass urban peers comparable test items. The article explains method's guiding humanistic cognitive principles then reports findings explorative action research implemented evaluated method. Using observational methodologies, argue developed in conceptual understanding content well attraction discipline, professional identity, personal pride achievement, general epistemic capacity for concentration self-regulation. Throughout, emphasize methodological limitations this grassroots proof-of-concept research, which threaten validity assertions. We speculate early extensions method literacy studies.