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.

Countries throughout the world are faced with the problem of adjusting school mathematics curricula in an attempt to match rapid changes in society, technology and educational systems. The ICMI Study is intended to help those who wish to form a vision of what school mathematics might be in the 1990's and to work towards the fulfilment of goals. In doing this it will be guided by the experiences of the past thirty years, which have taught us that what is desirable might not be attainable, and that goals must be set which acknowledge the existence of constraints. The Study seeks to identify key issues and basic questions within mathematics education, to propose and comment upon alternative strategies, and to provide a stimulus for more detailed, less general discussions, within more limited geographical and social contexts. The text is based upon an international symposium held in Kuwait in February, 1986 and attended by selected mathematics educators drawn from all parts of the world.

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.