It is our sad duty to inform that Filippo Spagnolo, Vice-President of CIEAEM, an Affiliate Organization to ICMI, passed away.
Filippo Spagnolo (born 29.7.1948) was Associate Professor at the Department of Mathematics and Informatics of the University of Palermo, Italy. He got his Ph. D. in Mathematics Education in 1995 at the Université de Bordeaux I ("Les Obstacles épistemologiques: Le Postulat d'Eudoxe-Archimede") under the supervision of Guy Brousseau.
Since 1997 he was "Maître de Conference" of "Science de l'Education" by France's Ministry of Education. He was the coordinator of the Group of Research on Mathematics Learning and Teaching ( G.R.I.M. - Gruppo di Ricerca sull'Insegnamento/Apprendimento delle Matematiche, Dipartimento di Matematica dell'Università di Palermo, Italy) since 1979. Since 1999 he cooperated with University of Bratislava to follow the Ph.D. in Mathematics Education. Since 1999 he was a member of Scientific Board of International group "The Mathematics Education into the 21st Century Project".
He was Editor in Chief of the journal “Quaderni di Ricerca in Didattica???, G.R.I.M. since 1990, Palermo, Italy. He was a member of the Editorial Board of "Mediterranean Journal for Research in Mathematics Education", Cyprus Mathematical Society, of “Canadian Journal of Science Mathematics and Technology Education???, University of Toronto, and of "Acta Didactica Universitatis Comenianae Mathematics", University Slovakia.
Some testimonies:
j'apprends une bien triste nouvelle par le biais d'une liste de diffusion. J'ai rencontré pour la dernière fois Filippo lors de l'école YERME à Palerme cet été.
Avec l'aide de jeunes chercheurs italiens, il nous avait assuré des conditions parfaites qui ont grandement contribué au succès de l'école. Filippo collaborait avec de nombreux secteurs de la didactique en France et c'est donc une grande perte pour nous tous. J'ai pu constater combien son influence était grande en Italie chez les jeunes chercheurs et comment cela contribuait à une meilleure compréhension des problématiques des deux côtés des Alpes.
Jean-Baptiste Lagrange
We have just received the news from Italy of the untimely death of Filippo Spagnolo, of the University of Palermo. He was a dear friend and colleague going lack to our first meeting in 1979, and was the local organiser of our very successful Project Conference in Sicily in 2002. Filippo was a wonderful person, open-hearted, generous and full of energy and humour. He was a tireless worker in mathematics education at all levels and was especially helpful and encouraging to his many students at the University of Palermo. All of those who knew him will be saddened to hear of his death, and he will truly leave an empty place in our hearts and minds that no one else can fill.
Alan Rogerson
His areas of research included:
- Modelling of Teaching/Learning training phenomena in Mathematics Education:
- A classification of epistemological obstacles in mathematics
- Multicultural approach in mathematics education with contributions of history of mathematics, Epistemology, Natural Language, Semiotic approach in matematics and mathematics communication.
- A statistical instruments of research in mathematics education
Some published works:
SPAGNOLO et alii, "Sperimentazione sulla didattica della matematica nella prima elementare", Quaderni CIDI, n.4, 1979, Franco Angeli Editore.
Spagnolo F. & Di Paola B., The concept of operator in the numerical extensions : a theoretical base, Acta Didactica Universitatis Comeniae (Mathematics), Comenius University Slovakia, n.7, 2007, pp. 131-143, ISBN 978-80-223-2310-9. http://www.ddm.fmph.uniba.sk/ADUC/index.html
Spagnolo F. & Malisani E., From Arithmetical Thought to Algebraic Thought: the role of the “variable???, Educational Studies in Mathematics, 0013-1954 (Print) 1573-0816 (Online), Springer, October 2008. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10649-008-9157-x
Spagnolo F., Philosophy of Mathematics Education among east and west, Philosophy of Mathematics Education Journal, ISSN 1465-2978, n. 23, October 2008. http://people.exeter.ac.uk/PErnest/pome23/index.htm
Spagnolo F. & B. Di Paola, Different procedures in argumentation and conjecturation in primary school: an experience with Chinese students, Research in Mathematics Education, Nicosia, Cyprus 2008, pag. 235-252, ISBN 978-9963-8850-8-4.