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Equity is an important element of educational discourses pertaining to mathematics and science education. Creativity is an aspect of the classroom that is often ignored due to curricular constraints and the burden of testing. However mathematics offers avenues to infuse the regular curricula with activities that are thought provoking and require creativity and these are accessible to learners of all...
The aim of this paper is to provide a concise survey of advances in the study of the psychology of creativity, with an emphasis on literature that is typically not cited in mathematics education. In spite of claims that mathematical creativity is an ill-defined area of inquiry in mathematics education, the literature from psychology can serve as an illustration for steady progress on numerous fronts...
In this paper, the role of mathematical pathologies as a means of fostering creativity in the classroom is discussed. In particular, it delves into what constitutes a mathematical pathology, examines historical mathematical pathologies as well as pathologies in contemporary classrooms, and indicates how the Lakatosian heuristic can be used to formulate problems that illustrate mathematical pathologies...
In this commentary we synthesize and critique three papers in this special issue of ZDM (Leikin and Lev; Kattou, Kontoyianni, Pitta-Pantazi, and Christou; Pitta-Pantazi, Sophocleous, and Christou). In particular we address the theory that bridges the constructs of “mathematical creativity” and “mathematical giftedness” by reviewing the related literature. Finally, we discuss the need for a reliable...
This paper presents analyses of teachers’ discussions within mathematics teaching developmental research projects, taking mediation as the central construct. The relations in the so-called ‘didactic triangle’ form the basic framework for the analysis of two episodes in which upper secondary school teachers discuss and prepare tasks for classroom use. The analysis leads to the suggestion that the focus...
The basic notion of a didactic triangle is explained with historical annotations on its origins and subsequent theorization in the literature. Instances of its application to classroom environments to demonstrate its representational capabilities are presented. Generalizations of the triangle are proposed that integrate the role of technology, the researcher in mathematics teaching developmental research,...
This study sought to determine the relationship between participation in informal mathematics activities and the formal-to-informal beliefs of university teacher candidates in elementary education. Three classes of preservice teachers participated in the study through their enrollment in a content mathematics course for elementary education majors. Four informal mathematics activities were employed...
In this opening introductory article to the issue of ZDM focused on mathematics education in Turkey, a short survey of the deep historical and cultural foundations of modern day Turkey is offered. This is followed by an outline of the development of researchers, as well as doctoral programs in mathematics education at universities in Turkey. The article also summarizes recently completed influential...
In this study, we survey the history of mathematics education in Turkey starting with its historical roots in the foundation of the republic. The changes in mathematics education in Turkey over the last century are investigated through an analysis of changes in curricular documents for K-12 schools. We consider the factors and reasons affecting curriculum developments, changes in philosophy and structure...
Mathematical creativity ensures the growth of mathematics as a whole. However the source of this growth, the creativity of the mathematician is a relatively unexplored area in mathematics and mathematics education. In order to investigate how mathematicians create mathematics; a qualitative study involving five creative mathematicians was conducted. The mathematicians in this study verbally reflected...
This article presents the research project IFUN (the acronym IFUN refers to Interesse og Fagoverskrindende Undervisning i Naturvidenskab and Interesse und Fächerübergreifender Unterricht in den Naturwisseschaften which is Danish and German, respectively, for Interest and Interdisciplinary Instruction in Science and Mathematics)—Interest and Interdisciplinary Instruction in Science (we use the term...
This paper addresses the role of mathematical paradoxes in fostering polymathy among pre-service elementary teachers. The results of a 3-year study with 120 students are reported with implications for mathematics pre-service education as well as interdisciplinary education. A hermeneutic-phenomenological approach is used to recreate the emotions, voices and struggles of students as they tried to unravel...
The etymology of the word “mathematics” can be traced to Greek roots with meanings such “a thing learned” (mathein is the verb “to have learned”) and, from that, ta mathe^matika, “learnable things” and, “to think or have one’s mind aroused. The natural philosophers of the Renaissance did not draw an explicit distinction between mathematics, the sciences and to an extent the arts. In this paper I explore...
Students’ mathematical achievement in Iceland, as reported in PISA 2003, showed significant and (by comparison) unusual gender differences in mathematics: Iceland was the only country in which the mathematics gender gap favored girls. When data were broken down and analyzed, the Icelandic gender gap appeared statistically significant only in the rural areas of Iceland, suggesting a question about...
In this contribution we discuss the six theses presented by Hans-Georg Steiner (1987), which were instrumental in the community becoming interested in theories and philosophies of mathematics education. We discuss overlooked aspects of this seminal paper particularly in light of recent developments in the field of mathematics education. Nearly 20 years later, we reflect on the development of Steiner’s...
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