Abstract
Today we take for granted that everybody should be offered the opportunity to learn mathematics. However, it was not until well into the 20th century that "mathematics for all" became an achievable goal. Before then, the geographical location of schools in relation to children's homes, the availability (or non-availability) of teachers capable of teaching mathematics, parental attitudes to schooling, economic circumstances of families, and social and psychological presuppositions and prejudices about mathematical ability or giftedness, all influenced greatly whether a child might have the opportunity to learn mathematics. Moreover, in many cultures the perceived difference between two social functions of mathematics-its utilitarian function and its capability to sharpen the mind and induce logical thinking-generated mathematics curricula and forms of teaching in local schools which did not meet the needs of some learners. This chapter identifies a historical progression towards the achievement of mathematics for all: from schooling for all, to arithmetic for all, to basic mathematics for all; to secondary mathematics for all; to mathematical modelling for all; and to quantitative literacy for all.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Third International Handbook of Mathematics Education |
| Editors | M .A. (Ken) Clements, Alan J. Bishop, Christine Keitel, Jeremy Kilpatrick, Frederick K. S. Leung |
| Place of Publication | New York NY USA |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Pages | 7-40 |
| Number of pages | 34 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781461446842 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781461446835 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2013 |
Cite this
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From the few to the many : Historical perspectives on who should learn mathematics. / Clements, M. A.; Keitel, Christine; Bishop, Alan J.; Kilpatrick, Jeremy; Leung, Frederick K.S.
Third International Handbook of Mathematics Education. ed. / M .A. (Ken) Clements; Alan J. Bishop; Christine Keitel; Jeremy Kilpatrick; Frederick K. S. Leung. New York NY USA : Springer, 2013. p. 7-40.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Research › peer-review
TY - CHAP
T1 - From the few to the many
T2 - Historical perspectives on who should learn mathematics
AU - Clements, M. A.
AU - Keitel, Christine
AU - Bishop, Alan J.
AU - Kilpatrick, Jeremy
AU - Leung, Frederick K.S.
PY - 2013/1/1
Y1 - 2013/1/1
N2 - Today we take for granted that everybody should be offered the opportunity to learn mathematics. However, it was not until well into the 20th century that "mathematics for all" became an achievable goal. Before then, the geographical location of schools in relation to children's homes, the availability (or non-availability) of teachers capable of teaching mathematics, parental attitudes to schooling, economic circumstances of families, and social and psychological presuppositions and prejudices about mathematical ability or giftedness, all influenced greatly whether a child might have the opportunity to learn mathematics. Moreover, in many cultures the perceived difference between two social functions of mathematics-its utilitarian function and its capability to sharpen the mind and induce logical thinking-generated mathematics curricula and forms of teaching in local schools which did not meet the needs of some learners. This chapter identifies a historical progression towards the achievement of mathematics for all: from schooling for all, to arithmetic for all, to basic mathematics for all; to secondary mathematics for all; to mathematical modelling for all; and to quantitative literacy for all.
AB - Today we take for granted that everybody should be offered the opportunity to learn mathematics. However, it was not until well into the 20th century that "mathematics for all" became an achievable goal. Before then, the geographical location of schools in relation to children's homes, the availability (or non-availability) of teachers capable of teaching mathematics, parental attitudes to schooling, economic circumstances of families, and social and psychological presuppositions and prejudices about mathematical ability or giftedness, all influenced greatly whether a child might have the opportunity to learn mathematics. Moreover, in many cultures the perceived difference between two social functions of mathematics-its utilitarian function and its capability to sharpen the mind and induce logical thinking-generated mathematics curricula and forms of teaching in local schools which did not meet the needs of some learners. This chapter identifies a historical progression towards the achievement of mathematics for all: from schooling for all, to arithmetic for all, to basic mathematics for all; to secondary mathematics for all; to mathematical modelling for all; and to quantitative literacy for all.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84930516303&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-1-4614-4684-2_1
DO - 10.1007/978-1-4614-4684-2_1
M3 - Chapter (Book)
SN - 9781461446835
SP - 7
EP - 40
BT - Third International Handbook of Mathematics Education
A2 - Clements, M .A. (Ken)
A2 - Bishop, Alan J.
A2 - Keitel, Christine
A2 - Kilpatrick, Jeremy
A2 - Leung, Frederick K. S.
PB - Springer
CY - New York NY USA
ER -