Culturally Rooted Adaptations of BLINDED PROGRAM in Indigenous Oaxaca: Educators’ Insights from Implementation and Reimagining

• In Event: Reclaiming Possibility: Educators Building Learning Futures with Culture, Care, and Play

Abstract

This study explores how [Blinded Program], a play-based intervention originally developed in the United States to support rational number learning through embodied activities, was implemented and adapted in two Indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Mexico. [Blinded Program] leverages movement, teamwork, and familiar sport contexts (Figure 1) to support fraction and decimal understanding, critical for grasping more advanced math topics (Author et al., 2022; 2024; Jordan et al., 2017; Siegler & Braithwaite, 2017). While the original model demonstrated positive results in urban Latine communities, its application in rural, multilingual Oaxacan schools required significant cultural and contextual adjustments. This study investigates how local educators shaped the implementation process to make [Blinded Program] more meaningful.
We ground our approach in three theoretical frameworks. Comunalidad (Martínez Luna, 2013), a guiding philosophy of Indigenous life in Oaxaca, highlights collective decision-making (asamblea), communal labor (tequio), reciprocity (guelaguetza), and deep ties to territory (territorio). Playful Learning Theory (Hassinger-Das et al., 2017; Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2015) emphasizes the importance of guided play and how it facilitates active and joyful engagement that deepens learning. We integrate these theories to create a learning tool that aligns with Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (Paris & Alim, 2017), honoring cultural and linguistic identities while addressing the need to create culturally sustaining play experiences (Moore, 2019).
Oaxaca was selected for its strong basketball culture, limited resources, inadequate infrastructure for teachers (The Borgen Project, 2023), and a need to sustain language and cultural continuity due to high youth migration (CONAPO, 2020). The program was implemented with 179 students and nine teachers in two communities within the Sierra Mixe region. Data sources include implementation notes, teacher interviews, focus group discussions, and post-program community meetings.
We used a two-phase qualitative analysis process. We began with deductive coding informed by our theoretical frameworks, to identify where and how constructs of comunalidad, play, and culture were manifested. We then shifted to descriptive inductive coding (Saldaña, 2016), through which codes and themes emerged organically from participants’ experiences. These methods allowed us to explore how educators and leaders interpreted, adapted, and mediated their use of [Blinded Program] and related play-based practices.
Our findings are organized into three areas. First, regarding the implementation process, a local liaison helped identify two public schools and guided coordination with community leaders, elders, and the education office to obtain approval. Through community assemblies and ceremonies grounded in tequio, the program was introduced as a shared effort, with families, teachers, coaches, and authorities committing to support its implementation across home, school, and court. Second, we examine what worked well and what challenges emerged. The basketball-court component generated high student engagement and enthusiasm. However, classroom integration proved more difficult due to time constraints and a lack of materials. Finally, follow-up discussions with teachers showed continued reflection and small-scale adaptations, suggesting the program is being considered for sustained use by the community.
This study highlights the importance of cultural alignment, language inclusion, and teacher agency in adapting playful learning programs in Indigenous educational contexts, following cultural models of Indigenous life and practices of Comunalidad.

Authors

• TERESITA MERINO, University of California - Irvine

• Vanessa Noemy Bermudez, University of California - Irvine

• Andres Sebastian Bustamante, University of California - Irvine