All Positive Action Starts With Criticism

This study provides a historical analysis of Freudenthal’s didactic ideas and his didactic career. It is partly biographical, but also contributes to the historiography of mathematics education and addresses closely related questions such as: what is mathematics and where does it start? Which role does mathematics play in society and what influence does it have on the prevailing views concerning its accompanying didactics?. Hans Freudenthal (1905–1990), professor in mathematics, scientist, literator, but above all mathematics-educator, was inextricably linked to the changes which took place in mathematics education and didactics during the second half of the last century. His diversity as a scientist and his inexhaustible efforts to establish the didactics of mathematics as a seriously pursued science, made Freudenthal's influence in this area considerable. He foresaw an essential, practical role for mathematics in everyone’s life, encouraging students to discover and create mathematics themselves, instead of imposing a ready-made mathematical system. The theory of mathematics education thus developed in the Netherlands would gain world fame in the following decades. Today, in the light of the discussions about mathematics education, in which the call for `genuine’ mathematics instead of the so-called 'kindergarten'-mathematics can be heard, Freudenthal's approach seems to be passé. However, the outcome of this study (which is mainly based on documents from Freudenthal’s vast personal archive) shows a more refined picture. The direct identification of 'kindergarten'-mathematics with Freudenthal’s view on mathematics education is not justified. 'Realistic mathematics' as advocated by Freudenthal includes more than just a practical introductory and should, among other things, always aim at teaching 'genuine' mathematics in the end.

This open access book, inspired by the ICME 13 Thematic Afternoon on “European Didactic Traditions”, consists of 17 chapters, in which educators from the Netherlands reflect on the teaching and learning of mathematics in their country and the role of the Dutch domain-specific instruction theory of Realistic Mathematics Education. Written by mathematics teachers, mathematics teacher educators, school advisors, and developers and researchers in the field of instructional material, textbooks, and examinations, the book offers a multitude of perspectives on important issues in Dutch mathematics education, both at primary and secondary school levels. Topics addressed include the theoretical underpinnings of the Dutch approach, the subject of mathematics in the Dutch educational system, teacher education and testing, the history of mathematics education and the use of history in teaching of mathematics, changes over time in subject matter domains and in the use of technology, and the process of innovation and how the Dutch and in particular one Dutch institute have worked on the reform.

Design Research in Education is a practical guide containing all the information required to begin a design research project. Providing an accessible background to the methodological approaches used in design research as well as addressing all the potential issues that early career researchers will encounter, the book uniquely helps the early career researcher to gain a full overview of design research and the practical skills needed to get their project off the ground. Based on extensive experience, the book also contains multiple examples of design research from both undergraduate and postgraduate students, to demonstrate possible projects to the reader. With easy to follow chapters and accessible question and response sections, Design Research in Education contains practical advice on a wide range of topics related to design research projects including: The theory of design research, what it entails, and when it is suitable The formulation of research questions How to structure a research project The quality of research and the methodological issues of validity and reliability How to write up your research The supervision of design research. Through its theoretical grounding and practical advice, Design Research in Education is the ideal introduction into the field of design based research and is essential reading for bachelor's, master's and PhD students new to the field, as well as to supervisors overseeing projects that use design research.

The Fourth International Conference on the History of Mathematics Education was hosted by Academy of Sciences and University of Turin (Italy). About 50 senior and junior researchers from 16 countries met for four days to talk about one topic: the history of mathematics education. In total 44 contributions were presented. The themes were Ideas, people and movements, Transmission of ideas, Teacher education, Geometry and textbooks, Textbooks – changes and origins, Curriculum and reform, Teaching in special institutions, and Teaching of geometry. In this volume you find 28 of the papers, all of them peer-reviewed. Since the first international conference on the history of mathematics education, the aim has been to develop this area of research, to attract more researchers and provide new insights that stimulate further “digging”. It is therefore very pleasing that so many new young researchers joined the conference, presenting results from ongoing or recently finished PhD projects. This makes us confident about a prosperous future of this research area as we look forward to the Fifth International Conference on the History of Mathematics Education, to be held in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in September 2017. Previous international conferences on the history of mathematics education: 2009 in Garðabær (Iceland) 2011 in Lisbon (Portugal) 2013 in Uppsala (Sweden)

This open access book discusses several didactic traditions in mathematics education in countries across Europe, including France, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, the Czech and Slovakian Republics, and the Scandinavian states. It shows that while they all share common features both in the practice of learning and teaching at school and in research and development, they each have special features due to specific historical and cultural developments. The book also presents interesting historical facts about these didactic traditions, the theories and examples developed in these countries.

This book describes and analyses the history of Dutch mathematics education from the point of view of the changing motivations behind the teaching of mathematics over a 200 year period. During the course of the 19th century, mathematics in the Netherlands developed from a topic for practitioners into a school topic that was taught to almost all pupils of secondary education. As mathematics teaching gradually lost its practical orientation and became more and more motivated on the basis of its supposed formative value, the HBS (Hogere Burgerschool), the Dutch variant of the German Realschule, became the dominant school of thought for mathematics pedagogy. This book examines the gradual development of the field, culminating in the country-wide adoption of Realistic Mathematics Education as the new method of mathematics teaching. This book is important for anyone who is interested in the history of mathematics education. It provides an interesting perspective on the development of mathematics education in a country that, in many aspects, went its own way.

Reform-based mathematics has become a popular topic in the education field as this teaching emphasizes classroom discourse and instructional goals related to student engagement and an understanding of mathematical reasoning, concepts, and procedures using instructional practices that build on students’ informal knowledge of mathematics. It also connects mathematics with other disciplines and the real world and provides opportunities for students to contribute and invent their own methods during problem-solving. Further study on the best practices, benefits, and challenges of implementing this teaching into education is required. Global Perspectives and Practices for Reform-Based Mathematics Teaching explores international perspectives on diverse reform-based practices in teaching and learning mathematics, describes challenges and issues for teachers and teacher educators, promotes reflection and academic discussion at various levels and in various educational systems, and raises questions for the field of mathematics education. Covering a range of topics such as teacher preparation programs and integrated learning spaces, this reference work is ideal for academicians, practitioners, researchers, instructors, educators, and students.

The international New Math developments between about 1950 through 1980, are regarded by many mathematics educators and education historians as the most historically important development in curricula of the twentieth century. It attracted the attention of local and international politicians, of teachers, and of parents, and influenced the teaching and learning of mathematics at all levels—kindergarten to college graduate—in many nations. After garnering much initial support it began to attract criticism. But, as Bill Jacob and the late Jerry Becker show in Chapter 17, some of the effects became entrenched. This volume, edited by Professor Dirk De Bock, of Belgium, provides an outstanding overview of the New Math/modern mathematics movement. Chapter authors provide exceptionally high-quality analyses of the rise of the movement, and of subsequent developments, within a range of nations. The first few chapters show how the initial leadership came from mathematicians in European nations and in the United States of America. The background leaders in Europe were Caleb Gattegno and members of a mysterious group of mainly French pure mathematicians, who since the 1930s had published under the name of (a fictitious) “Nicolas Bourbaki.” In the United States, there emerged, during the 1950s various attempts to improve U.S. mathematics curricula and teaching, especially in secondary schools and colleges. This side of the story climaxed in 1957 when the Soviet Union succeeded in launching “Sputnik,” the first satellite. Undoubtedly, this is a landmark publication in education. The foreword was written by Professor Bob Moon, one of a few other scholars to have written on the New Math from an international perspective. The final “epilogue” chapter, by Professor Geert Vanpaemel, a historian, draws together the overall thrust of the volume, and makes links with the general history of curriculum development, especially in science education, including recent globalization trends.