Theme Group 1: Mathematics for All

Abstract

Many factors have brought about a change in the overall situation of mathematics education. These include the move to universal elementary education in developing countries, the move to universal secondary education in industrialised countries (where there have also been growing demands for mathematical competence in an increasingly technologically and scientifically oriented world) and from the experience gained with worldwide curriculum developments such as the new mathematics movement. The tacit assumption that what can be gained from mathematics can be gained equally in every culture, independently of the character of the school institution, and of the individual dispositions and social situations of the learner, turned out to be invalid. New and urgent questions have been raised. Probably the most important ones are:

• What kind of mathematics curriculum is adequate to the needs of the majority?

• What modifications to the curriculum or alternative curricula are needed for special groups of learners?

• How should these curricula be structured?

• How could they be implemented?