For decades, mastery ambitions related to processes like problem-solving, modelling, and reasoning have been incorporated in mathematics curricula around the world. Meanwhile, such ambitions are hindered by syllabusism, a term I use to denote a conviction that results in mastery of a subject being equated with proficiency in a specific subject…

The reported study is situated within the process of developing a reform-oriented national mathematics curriculum for compulsory education in Greece by a design team that involved teachers, academic researchers, and policy-makers. From an activity theory perspective, we identify the activity systems of mathematics teaching, research in mathematics…

Changes in school mathematics curricula, pedagogy and assessment, and as a consequence the pressure for changes in initial teacher preparation, are consequences both of government policy initiatives and pressure from unofficial agents such as the research community, teachers and others, though with great variation across the world. In the case of…

Working with Navajo Indian informants in Arizona, USA we became aware of the capabilities of children and adults to find their way in vast and clearly "chaotic" canyons. One thing we did was describe what people actually did and said about their ways to find the way back home in such contexts. A second one was to use these data in order…

This study brings together two lines of research on teachers' affective responses toward mathematics curriculum reforms: their concerns and their efficacy beliefs. Using structural equation modeling to analyze data on 151 elementary mathematics teachers' concerns and efficacy beliefs 5 years into a mandated curriculum reform on problem solving,…

Describes the recent evolution of Portuguese basic education in which the concept of competence and the process of curriculum development became major aspects of an innovative movement at a national level. Describes the context and explores the concept of competence, and presents a formulation for the characteristics of mathematical competence for…

The current status of statistics education at the secondary level is reviewed, with particular attention focused on the various instructional programs in England. A description and preliminary evaluation of the Schools Council Project on Statistical Education is included. (MP)

This review of E. G. Begle's chapter four of his last book, "Critical Variables in Mathematics," looks first at 21 curriculum variables, and groups sets of these under a few headings. The material goes on to discuss issues that are viewed as more basic questions on weaknesses within curriculum theory. (MP)

Considered are the social and cultural issues that underlie the patterns of schooling, the assumptions and implications of curriculum languages for teaching mathematics, and the contradictory meaning of change and reform that underlie current efforts to improve instruction. (Author/PK)

A brief description and analysis of mathematics education in different phases of the history of Mozambique are provided. Particular attention is given to teacher training and the first National Seminar on the Teaching of Mathematics. (MP)

For 201 students in grades two, four, and six at five sites in Papua New Guinea, trial mathematical materials were used for six weeks. Achievement varied significantly among sites. Problem-solving skills were poor; computation, measurement, and mathematical language were superior to previous results. Locally developed textbooks were suggested.…

A Mathematics without Fear program developed at San Francisco State University is reviewed. It seeks to move pupils who fear mathematics from reliance on rules to concept orientation. (MP)

The introduction of certain topics in the theory of machines and languages into school and college mathematics courses in place of the more usual discussion of groups and formal logic is proposed. Examples of machines and languages and their interconnections suitable for such courses are outlined. (MP)

A case is presented for the importance of focusing on: (1) average ability students; (2) substantive mathematical content; (3) real problems; and (4) realistic settings and solution procedures for research in problem solving. Suggestions for ways to modify existing applied problem solving materials are given. (MP)

This paper reports on the conclusions drawn from an investigation of the modern mathematics reform movement in Brazil. The main focus is the dissemination of reform ideology to the Brazilian mathematics education community and the outcomes resulting from misinterpretations of the intended curriculum during the implementation process. (Author/JJK)