Abstract
In German speaking countries, educational thinking and theorizing on mathematics teaching and learning originated with the establishment of compulsory education for all children and the creation of a school system. Though first efforts go back to the 18th century it does make sense to start this survey with the beginning of the 19th century, with the implication that educational research on mathematics has a history of about two hundred years in German speaking countries. During the 19th century a more and more sophisticated system of publication (journals and books) on mathematics education emerged, the education of mathematics teachers had become more professional and teacher training had developed into one of the main obligations of university teaching. However, didactics of mathematics as an academic discipline is a comparably new achievement. Its establishment began approximately fifty years ago, predominately by creating professorships and opportunities of graduation at universities. After a phase of broad discussion on the identity of the discipline (e.g., in a special issue of ZDM edited by Steiner, 1974), the community of didactics of mathematics steadily expanded, diversified and developed fruitful connections to other neighboring disciplines. This overview intends to outline this development with respect to intuitions, key ideas, research strategies and the connection between research and practice. Selected topics are presented in the following chapters in more detail.
Highlights
In German speaking countries, educational thinking and theorizing on mathematics teaching and learning originated with the establishment of compulsory education for all children and the creation of a school system
It is primarily mathematics that must be used for this purpose, starting with the very first exercises of the faculty of thinking.” [“... dass das Verstehen, Wissen und geistige Schaffen nicht durch äussere Umstände, sondern durch seine innere Präcision, Harmonie und Schönheit Reiz gewinnt
Klein was influential in developing international relations between people who were interested in the teaching of mathematics which, among others, resulted in the foundation of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI)
Summary
In 1810 during the course of the Humboldtian educational reforms, mathematics became a full-fledged university discipline and at the same time a school subject (Jahnke 1990, p. 333ff.; Schubring 1987). At the secondary schools (gymnasium and later Realschulen) on the other hand, in accordance with Humboldt’s ideas, the teaching of mathematics had a stronger scientific character and teachers considered themselves to be scientists. From the 1880s, German books on methods of teaching mathematics at gymnasium began to appear These included Die Methode des mathematischen Unterrichts: nebst Proben einer schulmäßigen Behandlung der Geometrie by T. 1.1.2 ‘Reformpädagogik’ and Its Influence on the Teaching of Mathematics ‘Reformpädagogik’ was an educational theory favoring the promotion of the child’s creativity It originated at the beginning of the 20th century and resulted in a new attitude towards the child as well as a new understanding of ‘Bildung’, which in part continued Humboldtian ideas. Kerschensteiner and Gaudig had developed their pedagogical ideas in the decade after 1900, but the movement in favor of ‘Arbeitsschulen’ became important only in the 1920s when their writings influenced teachers of mathematics and lecturers at teacher training institutions and universities
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