%0 Journal Article %1 RuthvenIJHME08 %A Ruthven, Kenneth %D 2008 %J International Journal for the History of Mathematics Education %K imported %N 2 %P 91-102 %T Mathematical technologies as a vehicle for intuition and experiment: A foundational theme of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction, and a continuing preoccupation %U http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/people/staff/ruthven/RuthvenIJHMEpreprint.pdf %V 3 %X At the 5th International Congress of Mathematicians in 1912, one of the first reports of the newly founded International Commission on the Teaching of Mathematics (later redesignated the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction ICMI) focused on attempts to give a more central place to intuition and experiment in school mathematics. The main areas singled out as part of this trend towards "practical mathematics" and creation of the "mathematical laboratory" were geometrical drawing, graphical methods, practical measuring and numerical computation. Whereas many of the diverse technologies associated with this reform movement faded away, one in particular—squared paper—became implanted in school mathematics. This success was due to four factors: disciplinary congruence with an influential contemporary trend in scholarly mathematics; external currency in wider mathematical practice beyond the school; adoptive facility of incorporation into existing classroom practice; and educational advantage of perceived benefits outweighing costs and concerns. Parallels are drawn with more recent ICMI attention to computer-based technologies as providing support for intuition and experiment in school mathematics.

@article{RuthvenIJHME08, abstract = {At the 5th International Congress of Mathematicians in 1912, one of the first reports of the newly founded International Commission on the Teaching of Mathematics (later redesignated the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction [ICMI]) focused on attempts to give a more central place to intuition and experiment in school mathematics. The main areas singled out as part of this trend towards "practical mathematics" and creation of the "mathematical laboratory" were geometrical drawing, graphical methods, practical measuring and numerical computation. Whereas many of the diverse technologies associated with this reform movement faded away, one in particular—squared paper—became implanted in school mathematics. This success was due to four factors: disciplinary congruence with an influential contemporary trend in scholarly mathematics; external currency in wider mathematical practice beyond the school; adoptive facility of incorporation into existing classroom practice; and educational advantage of perceived benefits outweighing costs and concerns. Parallels are drawn with more recent ICMI attention to computer-based technologies as providing support for intuition and experiment in school mathematics.}, added-at = {2009-05-28T13:43:08.000+0200}, author = {Ruthven, Kenneth}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/24e5ecc1fc9e63d0053e17f4385dd3db5/yish}, interhash = {3655c50c4179ebdd96e74d6f59e29855}, intrahash = {4e5ecc1fc9e63d0053e17f4385dd3db5}, journal = {International Journal for the History of Mathematics Education}, keywords = {imported}, number = 2, pages = {91-102}, timestamp = {2009-05-28T13:43:08.000+0200}, title = {Mathematical technologies as a vehicle for intuition and experiment: A foundational theme of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction, and a continuing preoccupation}, url = {http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/people/staff/ruthven/RuthvenIJHMEpreprint.pdf}, volume = 3, year = 2008 }