Revista de História da Educação Matemática (Nov 2023)
FROM DESCRIPTIVE HISTORY TO INTERPRETATION AND EXPLANATION – a wave model for the development of mathematics education in Denmark
Abstract
How should we write a history of mathematics education? To answer this question, we have to consider why we should want to study this history. For many mathematics teachers – as in the case of the author- it is simply necessary to explore your own profession to improve your teaching. But in the end it would be useful if some people took a more scientific approach and looked for mainlines in the development, tendencies, patterns or even explanations. To do so we have to consider the initial local history of mathematics education in a wider context both in a nationwide and in an international comparison as well in comparison with other school subjects and the history of pedagogy in general. In this paper we explore the possibility to make a wave model of the development of mathematics education in Denmark in the past two centuries, illustrating periodic changes between times with emphasis on understanding and times with emphasis on drill and skills. To which extent can a model like this be explained?
