3300

M. Sencer Corlu

philosophy of mathematics education

2010

Universality of mathematics , history of mathematics , democracy in mathematics education

The reality that classrooms have become more multicultural each day, partly due to globalization, has changed the culture of the classrooms from the way they were in the past. A one-size-fits-all type of school offering mathematics puts many students at numerous disadvantages. A culturally-relevant mathematics instruction that encompasses axiomatic thinking and practicality, including problem solving is one of the most important requirements of a democratic mathematics education. This paper defines democracy in mathematics as the falsification of the universality idea, and investigates the historical background of the claim that mathematics is a universal discipline. Democracy in mathematics education, on the other hand, is defined as the successful blend of axiomatic thinking and practicality aspects of mathematics. The paper discusses the instructional consequences of these issues, and how it affected the mathematics education in the contemporary world.