Modernizing Mathematics Teaching: International Dialogues from Brazil

Abstract

This chapter discusses Brazil’s participation in international movements on the mathematics curriculum and how it shaped local proposals for mathematics teaching. We focus on three fundamental moments in the history of mathematics education in the twentieth century. The first was the creation of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction in the early twentieth century and Felix Klein’s proposal of merging the different mathematical branches in the school curriculum. The second, known as the modern mathematics movement, resonated between the 1960s and 1980s. The third was the international mobilization launched by the World Conference on Education for All in 1990, which promoted the reorganization of the school curriculum around competencies development. By taking a look at different eras, we seek to understand how national debates and practices in mathematics teaching embraced international thinking before, during, and after the modern mathematics movement. The international becomes national, with different justifications. It appears that modernization is a recurring theme in curriculum reforms in Brazil. At different times, for changing reasons, different actors have advocated local reforms to bring mathematics teaching up to date with the most recent international trends.