The teaching of mathematics has a history stretching back some hundreds of years. From its infancy through to its adolescence institutions at which mathematics was taught were thinly and somewhat haphazardly spread over the country and so individuals were extremely influential in developing curricula and methods of teaching. Indeed this has continued to be a feature of English mathematics education. In this authoritative account Geoffrey Howson follows the history and development of mathematics teaching by looking at the careers of some of these individuals in detail.

In the mid- 1970s the curriculum development boom in mathematics was to end almost as rapidly as it had begun. In this book the authors, who come from countries with differing educational traditions and patterns, consider these developments in their historical, social and educational context. They give not only a descriptive account of developmental work in a variety of countries, its aims and the patterns of management utilised, but also attempt to identify trends and characteristics and thus provide a theoretical base for criticism and analysis. The reader will find numerous case studies, including extracts from such renowned authors as Bruner, Dieudonne and Piaget.