Whither the Mathematics/Didactics Interconnection? Evolution and Challenges of a Kaleidoscopic Relationship as Seen from an ICMI Perspective

Abstract

I wish in this lecture to reflect on the links between mathematics and didactics of mathematics, each being considered as a scientific discipline in its own right. Such a discussion extends quite naturally to the professional communities connected to these domains, mathematicians in the first instance and mathematics educators (didacticians) and teachers in the other. The framework I mainly use to support my reflections is that offered by the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI), a body established more than a century ago and which has played, and still plays, a crucial role at the interface between mathematics and didactics of mathematics. I also stress the specificity and complementarity of the roles incumbent upon mathematicians and upon didacticians, and discuss possible ways of fostering their collaboration and making it more productive.