From jaimecs at mat.uc.pt Fri May 8 12:26:07 2009 From: jaimecs at mat.uc.pt (J Carvalho e Silva) Date: Fri, 8 May 2009 11:26:07 +0100 Subject: [ICMI-News] ICMI News 9: April 2009 Message-ID: ICMI News 9: April 2009 A Bimonthly Email Newsletter from the ICMI-International Commission on Mathematical Instruction Editor: Jaime Carvalho e Silva, Dep. Matematica, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal CONTENTS 1. Editorial: The Relevance of Mathematics Education in India 2. ICMI Study 20: Educational Interfaces between Mathematics and the Industry (EIMI) 3. ICMI Study 20: Discussion document (short version) 4. ICMI has a new website! 5. Exhibition "Experiencing Mathematics" in southern countries 6. Calendar of Events of Interest to the ICMI Community 7. Historical vignettes: David Eugene Smith, the proponent of ICMI 8. Subscribing to ICMI News ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Editorial: The Relevance of Mathematics Education in India I am from India, a country of more than one billion people. It is a country which exhibits all shades - from substandard to sublime - in any given field. I consider myself as a teacher of mathematics at the Univerity level and I shall confine myself with some of the achievements and woes faced by us in the field of teaching mathematics. As the reader may know, India has produced some very brilliant mathematicians and has a very large pool of mathematicians. In spite of this, most of us (in India) in the educational field feel that there is an acute shortage of qualified competent teachers especially at undergraduate and graduate level. The problem starts perhaps at the undergraduate level. There are about 5000+ undergraduate colleges in India. All of them are affiliated to 300+ universities and follow the curriculum laid down by the University. The examinations are conducted by the universities to award the degrees. The sad fact is that the teaching at the undergraduate level is the weakest link in higher education. Most of the teachers are masters' degree holders who passed their examination by learning by rote. When they join undergraduate colleges as faculties, they are given teaching duties which, at the least, are 16 hours per week along with innumerable other duties which their employers expect from them as part of their duties. So even those who want to spend time to learn well so that their teaching is effective are left with hardly any time to improve their knowledge. To remedy this situation, the Universities Grants Commision, the statutory body, has introduced the so-called Refresher Courses for College/University teachers. While some results are being seen, a lot needs to be done. At primary and secondary school level, there is the Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education, an arm of Tata Institute, Mumbai, which is carrying out impressive studies in the field of science (including Mathematics) education. Based on their research and studies, they have brought out textbooks at school level. However, these books are not adopted by the statutory bodies and most of the teachers are not even aware of their existence. The nation has not realized the importance of Mathematics Education as a discipline. So, I think the main challenges that face us are to look for answers on how Mathematics Education as a discipline (i) can help develop a good curriculum, (ii) what are the issues taken up for study of various problems faced by teachers of mathematics especially in developing countries and the recommendations or solutions offered for these (iii) at which places these recommendations were implemented and what was the outcome and more directly (iv) how mathematics education can have a direct impact on the quality of mathematics teaching. At present, the general feeling in India, as in many places, is that we need a lot of teachers whose background knowledge is sound so that they can do a competent job in teaching, but some are skeptical about the ways mathematics education research can help improve the situation. The ICMI Executive Committee hopes that ICMI Study 15 Volume on the professional education and development of teachers of mathematics, just coming out, may contribute to change such views and really help improve the quality of teacher preparation all over the world. S. Kumaresan, Member-at-large, ICMI-EC, University of Hyderabad, Hyderbad, India, kumaresa at gmail.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. ICMI Study 20: Educational Interfaces between Mathematics and the Industry (EIMI) The International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) and the International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM) are pleased to announce the launching, as part of the series of ICMI Studies, of a joint Study on the theme Educational Interfaces between Mathematics and the Industry (EIMI). A recent OECD Global Science Forum on "Mathematics in Industry" has recognized the intimate connections between innovation, science and mathematics. In view of these connections, there is a need for a fundamental analysis and reflection on strategies for the education and training of students and maybe the development of new ones. The EIMI Study (ICMI Study no. 20) will seek to better understand these connections and to offer ideas and suggestions on how education and training can contribute to enhancing both individual and societal developments. It will examine the implications for education at the intersection of these two communities of practice - industrialists and mathematicians. The EIMI Study will aim at maintaining a balance between the perceived needs of industry for relevant mathematics education and the needs of learners for lifelong and broad education in a globalised environment. The two co-chairs for this Study are Alain Damlamian (damla at univ-paris12.fr), Universit? de Paris-Est, France, and Rudolf Str??er (Rudolf.Straesser at math.uni-giessen.de), Justus-Liebig-Universit?t Gie?en, Germany. Jos? Francisco Rodrigues (rodrigue at ptmat.fc.ul.pt), Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal, is the Local Organiser. The Discussion Document for the joint ICMI/ICIAM Study, making a call for contributions, is available on the study website: http://eimi.mathdir.org/ The DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF CONTRIBUTIONS is September 15, 2009. The Study Conference of the Study will be held in Lisbon on April 19-23, 2010. Members of the International Programme Committee: Alain Damlamian (France, co-chair), Rudolf Str??er (Germany, co-chair), Jos? Francisco Rodrigues (Portugal, host country), Marta Anaya (Argentina), Helmer Aslaksen (Singapore), Gail FitzSimons (Australia), Jos? Gambi (Spain), Solomon Garfunkel (USA), Alejandro Jofr? (Chile), Henk van der Kooij (Netherlands), Li Ta-tsien (China), Brigitte Lutz-Westphal (Germany), Taketomo Mitsui (Japan), Nilima Nigam (Canada), Fadil Santosa (USA), Bernard R. Hodgson (Ex officio, ICMI), Rolf Jeltsch (Ex officio, ICIAM). Bernard R. Hodgson, Secretary-General of ICMI, bhodgson at mat.ulaval.ca ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. ICMI Study 20: Discussion document (short version) EIMI STUDY: EDUCATIONAL INTERFACES BETWEEN MATHEMATICS AND INDUSTRY The International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) and the International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM) are jointly launching the EIMI Study as part of the series of ICMI Studies. It will seek to better understand the connections between innovation, science and mathematics and to offer ideas and suggestions on how education and training can contribute to enhancing both individual and societal developments. The Study will examine the implications for education at the intersection of these two communities of practice - industrialists and mathematicians. We wish to emphasise that there should be a balance between the perceived needs of industry for relevant mathematics education and the needs of learners for lifelong and broad education in a globalised environment. The Study aims at broadening the awareness: of the integral role of mathematics in society; of industry with respect to what mathematics can and cannot realistically achieve; of industry with respect to what school and university graduates can and cannot do realistically in terms of mathematics; and of mathematics teachers and educators with regard to industrial practices and needs with respect to education. The Study also aims: to enhance the appropriate usage of mathematics in society and industry; to attract and retain more students, encouraging them to continue their mathematical education at all levels; and to improve mathematics curricula at all levels of education. To achieve these aims, ten content areas, each one with several questions, are suggested: 1. The Role of Mathematics - Visibility & Black Boxes People are rarely aware of the importance of mathematics in modern technologies. The use of mathematics in modern society should be more visible questioning: How can mathematics, especially industrial mathematics, be made more visible to the public at large? How can mathematics be made more appealing and exciting to students and the professionals in industry? How can mathematics serve a progressive rather than a restrictive role in education and training for the workplace? To what extent is it necessary or desirable to describe the inner workings of black boxes? What are the social implications of not explaining the inner workings of black boxes? 2. Examples of Use of Technology and Mathematics Modern workplaces are characterised by the use of different types of technology including Mathematics in fields as diverse as the chemical industry, oil exploration, medical imaging, micro- and nano-electronics, logistics & transportation, finance, information security, and communications and entertainment. What are insightful examples of the role of technology in showing and/or hiding mathematics in the workplace? Does the existence of special types of technology and the hiding of mathematics from the view of the user imply a change in the mathematical demands on the user? How? Do old competencies like estimation of results and reading of different scales become obsolete when using modern technology? Or, do they become more important? What are the social and political consequences of the 'crystallising' and 'hiding' of mathematics in black boxes? 3. Communication and Collaboration In the workplace, mathematics is seldom undertaken as an individual activity. Mathematical work, mostly on modelling and problem solving, is almost always a group activity and frequently the groups involved are made up of individuals with diverse expertise and expectations: How to identify which societal and/or industrial problems should be worked on? How to better communicate within multi-disciplinary working groups? How to communicate the underlying mathematics to the problem owners and/or general public? How to achieve greater quantitative literacy among school leavers, workers, and the general population? 4. The teaching and learning of Industrial Mathematics - Making Industrial Mathematics more visible. Who decides what will be explained and to whom? How to decide the level of explanation for various groups? How to organise teaching and learning in order to make industrial mathematics visible - if this is wanted/necessary? How much is it appropriate to explain for educational purposes in order to generate interest and excitement without overwhelming the learner? 5. Using Technology and Learning with Technology: Modelling & Simulation Using a new technology usually requires special efforts to become acquainted with it, to develop routines and practice. This can be an obstacle to switching to a more modern technology as long as the older one still "does the job". On the other hand, change and innovation are necessary in industry. How should one decide on the level of detailed mathematics expected to be taught/learned in a given vocational black box situation? How can mathematics help the transfer of technological procedures and/or solutions between different fields of industry? What criteria should be used to judge the appropriateness of simulation in the teaching & learning of industry related practice? How can one compensate for the "standardising effects" of any technology that is in widespread use? 6. Teaching and Learning for Communication and Collaboration Communication and collaboration form an integral and important part of the industrial use of mathematics. Because of their importance in industry, it is desirable to have these skills taught and learned in all parts of education and training, questioning: What communication skills are specific to mathematics? Are there specific skills for use in relation to industrial mathematics? How do we teach mathematics as a second language? 7. Curriculum and Syllabus Issues A partnership between mathematics and industry requires adjustments of the mathematics curriculum. This can also impact the teaching of mathematics in general, questioning: What are the (dis)advantages of identifying a core curriculum of mathematics for industry within the general mathematical curriculum at various levels and for various professions? What are useful ways to introduce mathematics for industry into vocational education? What are the (dis)advantages of creating specific courses on mathematics for industry vs. including the topic in the standard mathematical courses at various levels? What are the (dis)advantages of treating mathematics for industry as an interdisciplinary activity or as part of the traditional mathematics syllabus? 8. Teacher Training Teachers must be trained in new mathematical content, pedagogy and assessment and to recognise the presence of mathematics in society and industry. What level of understanding of this new content in relation to EIMI is appropriate for each grade level? What are good practices that support this new direction in teacher training? How to implement these changes in an efficient way? 9. Good Practices & Lessons to be Learned In all sectors of education there are examples of good practice in relation to the Study. This Study would like to collect good examples of how to integrate industry into the educational process. Lessons to be learned from failures are of the same interest as those from successes. 10. Research and Documentation National and trans-national documentation is widely missing in the field of mathematics and industry. Suggestions and contributions describing existing and future research and documentation of activities in the field of Educational Interfaces between Mathematics and Industry will be most welcome. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. ICMI has a new website! The Executive Committee of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction is pleased to announce the opening of the new ICMI website. This site is located on the server of the International Mathematical Union, at Konrad-Zuse-Zentrum in Berlin, and can be accessed via both url http://www.mathunion.org/ICMI/ or http://www.mathunion.org/icmi/ The renewal of the ICMI website has been long overdue. The original site had been launched in 1995 and, besides periodical updates of information, had undergone rather limited changes over the years. A total revamping of the site, both in design and in content, was thus highly necessary and an action in that direction was undertaken already by the previous Executive Committee of ICMI. Unfortunately the whole process took longer than expected and it is only now that the new site can be made accessible to the public. During the process of preparation of the new site, IMU decided to introduce for the maintenance of its own website the use of TYPO3, a free Open Source Web Content Management System. In the final steps of its preparation, the new site of ICMI has been transferred to the TYPO3 environment, which will make its maintenance and updating easier for the ICMI EC. This has also allowed for a redesign of the site, in particular as regards the format of the window in which the site is accessed. The site as it now exists is not yet in a final form, as some pages are still to be introduced or completed. Nonetheless we believe that the site is now mature enough to serve as a useful tool for the community. As part of our development goals, we want to have the site become the entry point to the ICMI Digital Library, a project of making available in freely downloadable versions various ICMI publications, including the ICMI Study volumes and the Proceedings of ICME congresses. We would also wish to have the ICMI site become a portal to various sources of information on the teaching and learning of mathematics in all parts of the world. It is thus the hope of the ICMI Executive Committee that the ICMI site will serve as a useful channel of communication, not only about ICMI and its activities, but also more generally as regards various issues related to mathematics education considered from an international perspective. The ICMI EC welcomes comments and suggestions not only about the current format and content of the site, but also about its evolution in order to better play such a role. Bernard R. Hodgson, Secretary-General of ICMI, bhodgson at mat.ulaval.ca ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5. Exhibition "Experiencing Mathematics" in southern countries After 5 years the exhibition was presented in more than 100 cities of 35 countries, of which 30 from southern countries. In 2008, it was presented in 6 countries of Latin America, in Turkey and Asia (from India to Korea) See http://www.MathEx.org . Since ICME10 more than 600 000 visitors, 20 000 teachers and class students have visited it. Since one year, we have added, with the support of UNESCO, a virtual exhibition, mainly for the secondary teachers of southern countries (http://www.ExperiencingMaths.org). In 2009-2010, it will be presented in Brazil (10 cities in 7 months), in Korea for one year and in West Africa in 4 countries. Michel Darche, Centre.Sciences, mldarche at free.fr ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. Calendar of Events of Interest to the ICMI Community 10th conference Teaching Mathematics: Retrospectives and Perspectives Institute of Mathematics and Sciences, Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia, May 14-16, 2009 http://www.tlu.ee/bcmath2009/ 3rd International Symposium on Mathematics and its Connections to the Arts and Sciences Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, 21st-23rd of May, 2009 http://www.umoncton.ca/freimanv/macas3/index.htm The 3rd International Symposium on the History and Pedagogy of Mathematics in China Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China, May 22-25, 2009 Xichi Wang, College of Mathematics & Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University 19 Xinjeikouwai St., Beijing, 100875., P. R. of China, xiciwang at mail.bnu.edu.cn http://www.shuxueshi.cn 5th ICMSA (International Conference on Mathematics, Statistics and Their Applications) Department of Mathematics, FMIPA, Andalas University, Indonesia, June 9 - 11, 2009 http://www.math-unand.org/icmsa/ 5th Asian Mathematical Conference Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June 22-26, 2009 http://math.usm.my/amc2009/ ICTMT-9 - 9th Int Conf on Technology in Mathematics Teaching Metz, France, July 6-9, 2009 http://www.ictmt9.org Towards a Digital Mathematics Library (DML 2009) Ontario, Canada, July 8-9th, 2009 http://www.fi.muni.cz/~sojka/dml-2009.html Computer Algebra and Dynamic Geometry Systems in Mathematics Education RISC, Castle of Hagenberg, Austria, July 11-13, 2009 http://www.risc.uni-linz.ac.at/about/conferences/cadgme2009/ First International GeoGebra Conference 2009 RISC, Castle of Hagenberg, Austria , July 14-15, 2009 http://www.geogebra.org/en/wiki/index.php/GeoGebra_Conference_2009 PME33 - 33rd Annual Meeting of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education Thessaloniki, Greece, July 19-24, 2009 http://www.pme33.eu Bridges Banff - Mathematics, Music, Art, Architecture, Culture The Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta, Canada, July 26-29, 2009 http://bridgesmathart.org/bridges-2009/ CIEAEM61 - Commission internationale pour l'?tude et l'am?lioration de l'enseignement des math?matiques Universit? de MONTR?AL, Montr?al, Qu?bec, Canada, July 26-31, 2009 http://www.cieaem.net/ ICTMA 14 - 14th International Conference on the Teaching of Mathematical Modelling and Applications University of Hamburg, Germany, July 27-31, 2009 http://www.ictma14.de/ SEMT '09 - 10th bi-annual conference on Elementary Mathematics Teaching, "The development of mathematical understanding" Prague, August 23-28, 2009 http://kmdm.pedf.cuni.cz 4th general meeting of European Women in Mathematics (EWM) University of Novi Sad, Serbia, August 25-28, 2009 http://ewm2009.wordpress.com/ "Models in Developing Mathematics Education" The Mathematics Education into the 21st Century Project Dresden, Saxony, Germany, September 11-17, 2009 alan at rogerson.pol.pl ICREM4 - The 4th International Conference on Research and Education in Mathematics 2009 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 21-23, 2009 http://einspem.upm.edu.my/icrem4/ CoSMEd -Third International Conference on Science and Mathematics Education Improving Science and Mathematics Literacy: Theory, Innovation and Practice Penang, Malaysia, November 10-12, 2009 http://www.recsam.edu.my/cosmed/ SRD'09 - Southern Right Delta'09 7th Southern Hemisphere Conference on the Teaching and Learning of Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics Gordons Bay, South Africa, 29 November-4 December 2009 http://www.delta2009.co.za "Numeracy: Historical, philosophical and educational perspectives" St Anne's College, Oxford, England, December 16-18, 2009 benjamin.wardhaugh at all-souls.ox.ac.uk 10th Islamic Countries Conference on Statistical Sciences (ICCSS-10) Cairo, Egypt, December 20-23, 2009 http://www.iccs-x.org.eg/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7. Historical vignettes: David Eugene Smith, the proponent of ICMI David Eugene Smith, born on 21 January 1860 in Cortland, New York, and educated at normal schools, studied from 1877 on at Syracuse University. During his undergraduate years there, his interests were marked by travelling, collecting objects and presenting his ideas. In the summer of 1879, he undertook a two-month trip to Europe - the first of his overseas travels. Smith was still far from mathematics education: after receiving a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in July 1881, he entered his father's second profession: he apprenticed in his father's law office. He also continued his academic studies, by travelling twice a week to Syracuse and being advised there in graduate work in the disciplines of history, modern languages and mathematics. Eventually, in 1884, he was admitted to the bar and awarded a Master of Philosophy degree. A promising career as a lawyer seemed to be open for him. In that same year, however, an event changed his life entirely. He began to teach mathematics at the Cortland Normal School, at first by chance, in order to 'help out' by substituting a missing teacher. Since he had studied enough mathematics at Syracuse to be effective as a teacher, the principal asked him to accept the position. Finding the law profession not especially agreeable, Smith accepted and began thus his pioneering work for mathematics education in the USA. During the next three years, he continued not only his engagements as a lawyer, but also his academic studies. Eventually, in 1887, he was granted the Ph.D. degree by Syracuse University in history of fine arts. While the courses he taught at Cortland had been standard - arithmetic, algebra, plane and solid geometry, and trigonometry -, from 1887 on he introduced courses on history of mathematics. After seven years of teaching as a mathematics professor at Cortland Normal School, he obtained the offer of the position of mathematics professor at the Michigan State Normal School, at Ypsilanti. At Ypsilanti, from 1891 on, Smith developed the kernel of his program for mathematics education. The normal school there, affiliated with Michigan University, had expanded to provide teacher education for all types of public schools - not only common schools, but also secondary schools. Smith, becoming head of the mathematics department, assured the academic level of teacher education, balancing the professional and the academic sides of the formation. Wishing to exert an administrative position, Smith moved in 1898 to Brockport, in the state of New York, as principal of the Normal School. While not teaching mathematics there, he published his first seminal contribution to mathematics education: the book The Teaching of Elementary Mathematics (1900), a methodology for mathematics teachers. After three years, in 1901, he returned to training mathematics teachers himself: at Teachers College, New York, the most prestigious institution in the United States, rivalled only by the school of Education at the University of Chicago. Originally just somewhat associated to Columbia University, Teachers College had evolved to be a professional school of university rank. Its students had to be college graduates or experienced teachers. By 1910, Teachers College had raised its status even more, and constituted a graduate college for professional education within Columbia University. Smith had been called to Teachers College in order to raise in particular the mathematics department to this level of quality. In fact, in 1906, the first Ph.D. degrees in mathematics education were conferred on two of Smith's students. Upon the proposal of Smith, the Fourth International Congress of Mathematicians, Rome 1908, decided to establish an international committee, the Internationale Mathematische Unterrichtskommission, to study the situation of mathematics instruction internationally. Also upon his proposal, Felix Klein, Sir George Greenhill, and Henri Fehr were elected as the core of this committee, later named its Comit? Central. Evidently, he was also the dynamic element in the work of the US national subcommittee, constituted in 1909. His merits were acknowledged in 1912, when the next ICM in Cambridge elected him to join the Comit? Central; later on, the Comit? appointed him to act as an additional vice-president of IMUK. During World War I, Henri Fehr, committed to the Allied Powers, tried to eliminate Klein as president and urged Smith to assume this function. Smith did not accept these offers and remained vice-president until the dissolution of IMUK, in 1920. When it was re-established, in 1928, Smith was elected its president. In 1932, he retired from IMUK activities. Due to his good relations with the mathematical community in the States, he served as an effective link between the demands of mathematicians and the needs of professional teacher training. From 1902 to 1920, Smith served as an associate editor of the Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society. He also served as an associate editor of the journal of the Mathematical Association of America, The American Mathematical Monthly, from 1916 on. He was elected president of the MAA for the term 1920 to 1921. He helped to organize the Association of Teachers of Mathematics and was elected its first president. His publications were decisive in shaping mathematics education in the United States. His handbook of 1900 was followed by The Teaching of Arithmetic in 1909 and by The Teaching of Geometry in 1911. His textbooks in arithmetic, algebra, and geometry and accompanying handbooks, published since 1904, were dominant during the 1910s. From his academic activities, Smith had retired already in 1926. He died at his home in New York City on July 29, 1944, after a long illness. References EILEEN F. DONOGHUE 1987, The origins of a professional mathematics education program at Teachers College, Ed.D. Thesis, Columbia University New York, Teachers College LAO GENEVRA L.G. SIMONS 1945, "David Eugene Smith - In Memoriam", Bulletin of the AMS, 51, 40-50 Gert Schubring, Bielefeld University, Germany, gert.schubring at uni-bielefeld.de ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8. SUBSCRIBING TO ICMI News There are two ways of subscribing to ICMI News: 1. Click on http://www.mathunion.org/ICMI/Mailinglist with a Web browser and go to the "Subscribe" button to subscribe to ICMI News online. 2. Send an e-mail to icmi-news-request at mathunion.org with the Subject-line: Subject: subscribe In both cases you will get an e-mail to confirm your subscription so that misuse will be minimized. ICMI will not use the list of ICMI News addresses for any purpose other than sending ICMI News, and will not make it available to others. Previous issues can be seen at: http://www.mathunion.org/pipermail/icmi-news ===================================================================== -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: