Perspectives On Mathematical Practices

This volume focuses on the importance of historical enquiry for the appreciation of philosophical problems concerning mathematics. It contains a well-balanced mixture of contributions by internationally established experts, such as Jeremy Gray and Jens Hoyrup; upcoming scholars, such as Erich Reck and Dirk Schlimm; and young, promising researchers at the beginning of their careers. The book is situated within a relatively new and broadly naturalistic tradition in the philosophy of mathematics. In this alternative philosophical current, which has been dramatically growing in importance in the last few decades, unlike in the traditional schools, proper attention is paid to scientific practices as informing for philosophical accounts.

In the eyes of the editors, this book will be considered a success if it can convince its readers of the following: that it is warranted to dream of a realistic and full-fledged theory of mathematical practices, in the plural. If such a theory is possible, it would mean that a number of presently existing fierce oppositions between philosophers, sociologists, educators, and other parties involved, are in fact illusory.

This volume focuses on the importance of historical enquiry for the appreciation of philosophical problems concerning mathematics. It contains a well-balanced mixture of contributions by internationally established experts, such as Jeremy Gray and Jens Hoyrup; upcoming scholars, such as Erich Reck and Dirk Schlimm; and young, promising researchers at the beginning of their careers. The book is situated within a relatively new and broadly naturalistic tradition in the philosophy of mathematics. In this alternative philosophical current, which has been dramatically growing in importance in the last few decades, unlike in the traditional schools, proper attention is paid to scientific practices as informing for philosophical accounts.

The aim of this book is to explore measures of mathematics knowledge, spanning K-16 grade levels. By focusing solely on mathematics content, such as knowledge of mathematical practices, knowledge of ratio and proportions, and knowledge of abstract algebra, this volume offers detailed discussions of specific instruments and tools meant for measuring student learning. Written for assessment scholars and students both in mathematics education and across educational contexts, this book presents innovative research and perspectives on quantitative measures, including their associated purpose statements and validity arguments.

Multiple Perspectives on Mathematics Teaching and Learning offers a collection of chapters that take a new look at mathematics education. Leading authors, such as Deborah Ball, Paul Cobb, Jim Greeno, Stephen Lerman, and Michael Apple, draw from a range of perspectives in their analyses of mathematics teaching and learning. They address such practical problems as: the design of teaching and research that acknowledges the social nature of learning, maximizing the impact of teacher education programs, increasing the learning opportunities of students working in groups, and ameliorating the impact of male domination in mixed classrooms. These practical insights are combined with important advances in theory. Several of the authors address the nature of learning and teaching, including the ways in which theories and practices of mathematics education recognize learning as simultaneously social and individual. The issues addressed include teaching practices, equity, language, assessment, group work and the broader political context of mathematics reform. The contributors variously employ sociological, anthropological, psychological, sociocultural, political, and mathematical perspectives to produce powerful analyses of mathematics teaching and learning.

Contemporary philosophy of mathematics offers us an embarrassment of riches. Among the major areas of work one could list developments of the classical foundational programs, analytic approaches to epistemology and ontology of mathematics, and developments at the intersection of history and philosophy of mathematics. But anyone familiar with contemporary philosophy of mathematics will be aware of the need for new approaches that pay closer attention to mathematical practice. This book is the first attempt to give a coherent and unified presentation of this new wave of work in philosophy of mathematics. The new approach is innovative at least in two ways. First, it holds that there are important novel characteristics of contemporary mathematics that are just as worthy of philosophical attention as the distinction between constructive and non-constructive mathematics at the time of the foundational debates. Secondly, it holds that many topics which escape purely formal logical treatment - such as visualization, explanation, and understanding - can nonetheless be subjected to philosophical analysis. The Philosophy of Mathematical Practice comprises an introduction by the editor and eight chapters written by some of the leading scholars in the field. Each chapter consists of short introduction to the general topic of the chapter followed by a longer research article in the area. The eight topics selected represent a broad spectrum of contemporary philosophical reflection on different aspects of mathematical practice: diagrammatic reasoning and representation systems; visualization; mathematical explanation; purity of methods; mathematical concepts; the philosophical relevance of category theory; philosophical aspects of computer science in mathematics; the philosophical impact of recent developments in mathematical physics.

Currently there is a great deal of interest in philosophical issues in the teaching and learning of both mathematics and science education. In this book Ernest has collected together papers from the foremost researchers and practitioners in the philosophy of mathematics education and related areas, together with a selection of papers from the International Congress of Mathematics Education held in Quebec in 1992. Throughout, the outstanding feature of the collection is its multidisciplinary approach to the field of study. This book is the second in Paul Ernest's "Studies in Mathematics Education" series.