[ICMI-News] ICMI News 19: August 2011

J Carvalho e Silva jaimecs at mat.uc.pt
Thu Sep 29 08:21:13 CEST 2011


ICMI News 19: August 2011
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: Extending the reach and influence 
of mathematics education research
2. ICME-12: Two appetizers
      Mathematics in the National Curriculum
      TEDS-M: The Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics
3. ICME-12: the online submission system is open
4. ICME-12 is progressing
5. CDC updates for the ICMI Community
6. News from India
7. Publications of Interest to the ICMI 
Community: Last copies of the ICMI centenary 
volume
8. Calendar of Events of Interest to the ICMI Community
9. Subscribing to ICMI News

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1.  Editorial: Extending the reach and influence 
of mathematics education research

Mathematics education research has been entering 
a new era in its reach and influence. This may be 
observed in the way the results of some 
international studies on student mathematics (and 
science) performance are carefully coordinated 
for release on a single day, making media 
headlines across countries. It may also be seen 
in how the findings of these studies come to be 
featured in the speeches of presidents, 
politicians, heads of institutions and how they 
enter into policy documents. One might speculate 
on the reasons for these trends, which range from 
the recognition of the importance of mathematics 
learning in twenty first century societies to an 
emergence of mathematics education research and 
discourse that speaks to policy and system level 
interventions.
The ICMI Studies are a major international 
research programme that has a well established 
history, having released 18 volumes in the past 
26 years. No doubt, the world of today is very 
different from that when the first ICMI Study was 
released on the Influence of Computers and 
Informatics on Mathematics and its Teaching in 
1985 edited by Geoffrey Howson and Jean-Pierre 
Kahane. The global interconnected-present brings 
new imperatives for important and critical 
findings from ICMI studies to influence not only 
further mathematics education research and 
teacher education, but also systematically impact 
policy makers and educational practice in 
systemic ways.
The question is how to continue to strengthen the 
unique traditions of ICMI Studies, which, in 
addressing a prominent issue, theme or topic of 
particular significance in contemporary 
mathematical education brings together 
international teams of leading scholars and 
practitioners in that domain, to increase its 
relevance, influence and reach. Given the growing 
maturity and diversity of the field of 
mathematics education, one consideration may be 
to give much more attention in ICMI Studies to 
providing a substantial critical review, a 
meta-analysis or synthesis with respect to the 
particular topic, theme or issue, which may 
variously focus on research, findings and 
results, methodologies, theories, policies, 
practices, and so on.
A second consideration for future ICMI Study 
volumes is to give much more thought and planning 
to launching, publicising and marketing  the 
research to improve and extend its impact beyond 
the mathematics education research community to 
policy decision-makers, practitioners as well as 
to advancing the public image and understanding 
of the particular theme in mathematics education. 
To this end each ICMI Study volumes need to have 
either as separate documents or as a section in 
the volume: a succinct executive summary which 
distils and presents information for 
practitioners, a policy guide spelling out 
implications for policy and government 
decision-makers, and also a separately prepared 
press release. These need to be presented in an 
explicit, clear, jargon free text that is easily 
comprehended by different target audiences.
Going forward ICMI is deliberating, in working 
with editors and authors as well as other ICMI 
networks, on how to better coordinate worldwide 
release of ICMI studies, (possibly with the 
assistance of media and marketing expertise), and 
arrange for these to be produced in several 
languages to enhance their take up. Many other 
strategies are also needed to foster stronger 
dialogue among mathematics education researchers, 
practitioners and policy decision makers if the 
reality of the majority of learners of 
mathematics is to be changed for the better.
The broad mathematics education community must 
engage these challenges and find creative 
solutions if it is to reclaim a public space not 
always dominated by mathematics education 
disciplinary experts to ensure that changes in 
mathematics classrooms the world over are 
informed and lead by quality research knowledge. 
Otherwise, it risks speaking only to itself as a 
community.

Renuka Vithal, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South 
Africa, Member-at-large, ICMI-EC, 
vithalr at ukzn.ac.za

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2. ICME-12: Two appetizers

The 12th International Congress on Mathematical 
Education will be held in Seoul, Korea, on July 
8-15, 2012. This Congress is the main event 
organized by ICMI and it is expected that more 
than 3000 professionals will attend. In order to 
open the appetite for this Congress and encourage 
people to participate and register early, we will 
begin publishing some appetizers for the plenary 
lectures and plenary panels. I thank all the 
people involved for the effort made to anticipate 
what they might say at the Congress.

APPETIZER # 1

Mathematics in the National Curriculum

by Don-Hee Lee (Professor Emeritus of Philosophy 
of Education, Seoul National University)

In the middle of constructing the 2009 Amendment 
of National Curriculum for primary and secondary 
education (K-12 grades) in the Republic of Korea, 
different subject-matters were competing for 
advantage over others, especially in allocation 
of official teaching hours per week, and 
qualification as compulsory subject for the 
college entrance. A system of subject-matters 
includes : A major group of Korean Language and 
Literature, Mathematics, English, Social Studies, 
Sciences; A minor group of Art, Music, Sports, 
Home Economics, Trade; and an elective group of 
Second Foreign Languages, cultural studies, and 
extra-activities. They put themselves into 
competition with others for their survival in 
each amendment act, sometimes desperately.

For Math education, there are at least two 
favorable respects in the competitive situation: 
(1) Mathematics has been recognized long since to 
be one of the oldest and indispensable subjects, 
both in the East (one of "six arts" in the 
ancient China) as well as the West (two of "seven 
liberal arts" from the ancient Greece). (2) 
Mathematics stands itself as an independent 
science, which also generates innumerable 
utilities for various departments of human 
intelligence, because the human mind works at 
least partly with the system of mathematical 
laws. Nevertheless, Mathematics does not 
demonstrate by itself a justification to the 
question "Why Do WE Teach Math Everyone?" We have 
to show a rationale persuasive enough even to 
quite a few young people who are used to sleep 
away every Math class-room, if we claim its 
indispensability for education. Perhaps, it seems 
that they may think they are bound to live their 
own lives without Math anyhow.


APPETIZER # 2

TEDS-M: The Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics

by Konrad Krainer (Doctorate and habilitation in 
the field of didactics of mathematics, Full 
professor at the Institute of Instructional and 
School Development of the Alpen-Adria-Universität 
Klagenfurt, Austria, Head of the institute (since 
2004), Member of the Senate, and scientific 
leader of the Austrian-wide project IMST 
(Innovations Make Schools Top).)

Focusing on mathematics learning at school level, 
mathematics teachers have the strongest influence 
on student learning because they are directly 
working with students. Teachers are regarded as 
key persons of educational change. For example, a 
meta-analysis on student learning (Hattie, 2003) 
found that teachers' impact on students' learning 
is high: Identified factors that contribute to 
major sources of variation in student performance 
include the students (50%) and teachers (30%) as 
the most important factors, whereas home, 
schools, principals, peer effects (altogether 
20%) play a less important role.
Thus intensive research in mathematics teacher 
education is needed. There is increasing 
literature about relevant results, however, 
large-scale findings relative to the conditions, 
processes, and effects of mathematics teacher 
education are rare (Adler et al., 2005). Since 
Mathematical Content Knowledge (MCK) and 
Mathematical Pedagogical Content Knowledge (MPCK) 
play a fundamental role for teachers' 
effectiveness, and many teachers teach as they 
have been taught, the education of prospective 
teachers is a crucial phase in teachers' 
professional development.
The Teacher Education and Development Study in 
Mathematics (TEDS-M) is the first cross-national 
data-based study about (primary and secondary) 
pre-service mathematics teacher education with 
large-scale samples (see e.g. 
http://teds.educ.msu.edu/; Tatto & Senk, 2011). 
23.000 prospective mathematics teachers from 17 
countries participated in TEDS-M 2008. Among 
others, the study shows Taiwan, Russia and 
Thailand as overachieving and the USA, Norway and 
Chile as underachieving countries (comparing 
MCK&MPCK in relation to HDI, see e.g. 
http://www.oefg.at/text/veranstaltungen/professionalisierung/Beitrag_Bloemeke.pdf).
At the 12th International Congress on 
Mathematical Education (ICME 12, July 8-15, 2012) 
in Seoul (Korea), a Plenary Panel will be 
organized to present and discuss important 
issues, results and questions of TEDS-M (see e.g, 
http://www.icme12.org/sub/sub02_02.asp). The 
panel members are Feng-Jui Hsieh (Taiwan), Konrad 
Krainer (Austria, Chair), Ray Peck (Australia) 
and Maria Teresa Tatto (USA).

Jaime Carvalho e Silva, Secretary-General of ICMI, jaimecs at mat.uc.pt

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3. ICME-12: the online submission system is open

The on-line submission system of Topic Study 
Groups (TSG), Workshop and Sharing Groups (WSG) 
and Poster sessions for ICME-12 has been opened. 
Please visit the Congress website 
(http://icme12.org) and at the first page, click 
the <My Page> button located in the left-up 
corner or go to <Proposal & Paper submissions> 
menu or go to each TSG website after clicking the 
red button <Topic Study Groups>.
If you visit for the first time you have to sign 
up first; then please log in with the ID and 
Password you put in the sign-up process. In the 
case of TSGs, there is no template for a proposal 
but the LOC will upload the template for the 
final draft of which deadline is the April 10, 
2012 on the Congress website. However, in the 
cases of WSG and Poster proposals, you have to 
use the application form. You can find the forms 
if you go to <Proposal & Paper submissions> menu. 
If you have any questions about the on-line 
submission system, please contact Hee-chan Lew.

Hee-chan Lew, Vice Chair of the LOC and Chair of 
the Congress Subcommittee, hclew at knue.ac.kr

------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. ICME-12 is progressing

After all the 37 Topic Study Groups published 
their Call for Papers stating what is expected 
from the presentations in each of the groups, the 
proposals for papers can be uploaded at the 
ICME-12 webpage, as stated above.

All the Call for Papers can be found on the ICME-12 webpage
http://www.icme12.org/
and on the ICMI website on a special area on the 
front page of the ICMI website.

Deadline Summary
November 1, 2011: On-line submission of proposal
January 15, 2012: Notification of acceptance
April 10, 2012: On-line submission of final draft

In a special number of ICMI News we included a 
summary of the main focus of the work of each 
group, as mentioned in the published call for 
papers and contributions.
Please read it here:

http://www.mathunion.org/pipermail/icmi-news/

I hope to see you all in Seoul from 8 to 15 of July 2012.

Jaime Carvalho e Silva, Secretary-General of ICMI, jaimecs at mat.uc.pt

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5. CDC updates for the ICMI Community

CDC launches the IMU Mathematics Library 
Assistance Scheme for Developing Countries

The Commission for Developing Countries, part of 
the International Mathematical Union (IMU) has 
launched a new support scheme where the shipment 
of textbooks to universities in less economically 
developed countries is supported.
CDC offers limited financial support for shipment 
costs for individual scientists or institutions 
wishing to donate books in the mathematical 
sciences to libraries in developing countries.
Libraries in universities/research institutions 
in developing countries can apply for to receive 
donated books.
For more information please go here: 
http://imuweb.mathunion.org/cdc/further-cdc-activities/library-assistance-scheme/

The Simons Foundation announces the Africa Mathematics Project.
The program is designed to enhance the 
mathematical capacity and productivity of 
recipient research groups.
The project will focus on mathematicians and 
their graduate students at institutions of higher 
learning in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Foundation will make competitive awards that, 
taken together, will total approximately 400,000 
USD per year for each of the next 10 years.

More information: https://simonsfoundation.org/mps-africa-mathematics-project

Lena Koch, IMU Secretariat, icmi.cdc.administrator at mathunion.org

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6. News from India

a) S. Kumaresan was honoured for his 60th 
birthday with the meeting "Mathematics Education 
- Trends and Challenges" organized August 19-21, 
2011, at the University of Hyderabad by T. 
Amaranath, Univ. of Hyderabad and Varadharajan 
Muruganandam, NISER, Bhubaneswar.
S. Kumaresan was Member-at-large of the ICMI-EC 
from 2007 to 2009 and is the founder and director 
of the MTTS-Mathematics Training and Talent 
Search Programme, funded by the National Board 
for Higher Mathematics of India, being held since 
1993 at different places:

http://www.mtts.org.in/

The goal of this programme is to train the 
students at the university level so that they can 
work independently, achieve a certain level of 
confidence in the learning/understanding of 
mathematics and to give them a taste of how 
mathematics is discovered. Mathematics is taught 
in an interactive way rather than the usual 
passive presentation. To promote active learning, 
the teachers usually ask questions and try to 
develop the theory based on the answers and 
typical examples. At every level the participants 
are encouraged to explore, guess and formulate 
definitions and results.

Participants in the meeting included M.S. 
Raghunathan, Tata Institute of Fundamental 
Research, Mumbai, R. Tandon, University of 
Hyderabad, Hyderabad, S.G. Dani, Tata Institute 
of Fundamental Research, Mumbai and Chairman 
National Board for Higer Mathematics, Department 
of Atomic Energy, R. Balasubramanian, Institute 
for Mathematical Sciences, Chennai, and M.S. 
Narasimhan, Honorary Fellow, Tata Institute of 
Fundamental Research.

Following the meeting the participants decided to 
prepare a white paper on the theme and meet again 
in the future to discuss the same theme. Also, S. 
Kumaresan initiated a blog on the theme:

http://mtts-mathed.blogspot.com/


b) The NATIONAL SEMINAR ON THE HISTORY AND 
CULTURAL ASPECTS OF MATHEMATICS EDUCATION will be 
organized by Sir C.V. Raman, Chair for Science 
and Math Education, Indira Gandhi National Open 
University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi at the 
Convention Centre of the same university, 2-3, 
December, 2011. The goal is to look at the 
important historical movements, innovations and 
efforts to improve the teaching and learning of 
mathematics in school and at the tertiary level 
throughout India over the last two centuries. 
Further, it aims to focus on the social, cultural 
and economic influences on mathematics learning 
and learners in India. Those interested should 
contact pksinclair at ignou.ac.in

c) The iMEN - India Math Education Network was formed and has already a webpage

http://india-men.ning.com/

It has now more than 800 members. The goal is to 
connect all those interested in improving math 
education, especially in India. All are welcome 
to join and contribute.

d) The national presentation for India for 
ICME-12 is being prepared. To provide an input 
for the national presentation of India and to 
bring together on a single platform the important 
and significant innovations and efforts to 
improve mathematics education in school and in 
higher education in India, a Southern Regional 
Conference on Mathematics education is being 
organized from 11 - 13, November 2011 at Cochin. 
It is the NATIONAL INITIATIVE ON MATHEMATICS 
EDUCATION (NIME-2011). It is organized by the 
Kerala Mathematics Teachers Association (KMTA), 
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Kochi Kendra) and the 
Association of Mathematics Teachers of India 
(AMTI). This conference aims to build awareness 
of such efforts in the community of mathematics 
educators in the Southern Region - Andhra 
Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and 
Kerala. The proceedings of the conference will 
also be an input for a report on the status of 
mathematics education in India, which is being 
compiled under the auspices of the Indian 
National Science Academy. Those who are 
interested to participate may contact 
Mr.K.Suresh, Vice Principal, Bhavan's News Print 
Vidyalaya, Kottayam-686616 or send email to 
kuttath.suresh at yahoo.com

e) TIME 2011 is the Fourth National Conference 
"Technology and Innovation in Math Education", 
that will take place 26-29 December, 2011 in 
Indore Public School, Indore. This is an event 
for math teachers and math lovers of all levels 
and will focus on two themes: Role of technology 
in teaching of mathematics and Innovative 
practices in teaching mathematics. More 
information on the page:

http://www.math.iitb.ac.in/TIME2011/

Jaime Carvalho e Silva, Secretary-General of ICMI, jaimecs at mat.uc.pt

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7. Publications of Interest to the ICMI 
Community: Last copies of the ICMI centenary 
volume

The last copies of the ICMI centenary volume "The 
First Century of the International Commission on 
Mathematical Instruction (1908-2008). Reflecting 
and Shaping the World of Mathematics Education" 
are still available. The volume includes texts 
written by Hyman Bass; Jeremy Kilpatrick; Jean 
Luc Dorier; Mogens Niss; Toshi Ikeda; Jo Boaler; 
Joao da Ponte; Gert Schubring; Ferdinando 
Arzarello; Gelsa Knijnik; Mamokgethi Setati; 
Michèle Artigue; Bernard R. Hodgson; Alan Bishop; 
Ubiratan D'Ambrosio; Jill Adler; Bill Barton; 
Deborah Ball; Marcelo Borba; Gilah Leder and many 
others.

Please hurry to buy your personal copy or for 
your library. Please note that this volume will 
not be edited again on paper.
The price is 40 euros for the ICMI community and 60 euros for libraries.
Details of the procedure to buy the book are available here:

http://www.treccani.it/catalogo/catalogo_prodotti/Le_collane/biblioteca_enciclopedica.html

http://www.unige.ch/math/EnsMath/Rome2008/

Jaime Carvalho e Silva, Secretary-General of ICMI, jaimecs at mat.uc.pt

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8. Calendar of Events of Interest to the ICMI Community

MathTED 2011 - the 2011 Biennial Conference of 
the Philippine Council of Mathematics Teacher 
Educators,
COLUMBAN COLLEGE, Olongapo City, Philippines, October 21-22, 2011
http://mathtedphil.org/conferences.php

ICREM5 - The 5th International Conference on 
Research and Education in Mathematics
Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia, October 22-24 2011
http://www.math.itb.ac.id/~icrem5

CARN Conference 2011 (Collaborative Action Research Network)
Bringing a different world into existence
Action research as a trigger for innovations
Vienna, Austria, November 4-6, 2011
http://ius.uni-klu.ac.at/misc/carn/

Volcanic DELTA 2011, Eighth Southern Hemisphere 
Conference on the Teaching and Learning of 
Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics,
Rotorua, NZ, November 27 - December 2, 2011
http://www.delta2011.co.nz/delta2011/

Fourth National Conference "Technology and 
Innovation in Math Education" TIME 2011, Indore 
Public School, Indore, India, 26-29 December, 2011
http://www.math.iitb.ac.in/TIME2011/

Creating Balance in an Unjust World Conference on 
Math Education and Social Justice
Mission High School in San Francisco, CA, USA, January 13-15, 2012.
http://creatingbalanceconference.org/

EMF 2012 - Espace Mathématique Francophone,
Genève, 3-7 Février 2012
http://www.emf2012.unige.ch/

Seventh International Conference on Science, 
Mathematics & Technology Education: 
Transformations through Science, Mathematics and 
Technology Education - Towards an Innovative and 
Sustainable Society, Muscat, Oman, February 
12-15, 2012
d.fisher at smec.curtin.edu.au

International colloquium in honour of Michele 
Artigue  --  (Professor at the Université Paris 
Diderot, ex-president of ICMI): The didactics of 
mathematics: approaches and issues. Paris, May 31 
st, June 1st and  2nd  2012.
http://www.lar.univ-paris-diderot.fr/colloque/artigue

ICME-12 - Twelfth International Congress on Mathematical Education
Seoul, Korea, July 8-15, 2012
http://www.icme12.org/

HPM 2012 History and Pedagogy of Mathematics
The HPM Satellite Meeting of ICME-12
Daejeon (Korea), July 16-20, 2012
http://www.hpm2012.org

PME Annual Conference
Taipei, Taiwan, July 18-22, 2012
http://www.tame.tw/pme36/

EARCOME6 - The Sixth East Asia Regional Conference on Mathematics Education,
Thailand, March, 2013

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9. SUBSCRIBING TO ICMI News

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