Special Issue on History and Philosophy of Mathematics in Mathematics Education

Abstract

Although Science & Education has published papers specifically concerning mathematics over the years—some quite significant for education—mathematics has never received the spotlight. Indeed, when the journal was established it bore the subtitle, Contributions from History, Philosophy and Sociology of Science and Mathematics, but so few papers on mathematics were received in those years that the word ‘‘mathematics’’ was duly dropped. Yet within the community of science and mathematics educators, there is no lack of interest at least in the contributions of history and philosophy of mathematics to mathematics education, particularly the history of mathematics. Besides publications such as those we have listed at the end of this introduction, one can point to the activities of the International Study Group on the Relations between the History and Pedagogy of Mathematics (HPM) which dates back to 1972, and which almost from the start became an affiliated study group of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI), the largest and oldest international organization for mathematics education. International conferences of HPM have been held in Europe, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Mexico, and Korea in association with the quadrennial International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME). The European Summer University on History and Epistemology in Mathematics Education (ESU), now held every 4 years as well, is another regular venue for meetings dealing with history in mathematics education, as is the working group on History in Mathematics Education at the biennial Congress of European