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What Is a Canadian Mathematics Education? A National Discourse Community

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Abstract

Over the past four decades, there has been a gradual emergence of a national mathematics education community, despite a decentralized education system in Canada. This community is marked by regional collaboration for curriculum development, national cooperation for teacher certification and mobility, research networks, and a national mathematics education group composed of mathematics teachers and teacher educators and mathematicians and mathematics education researchers united by their concern for the teaching and learning of mathematics. Reflecting back on the last 40 years of mathematics education in Canada, I explore multiple facets of this national mathematics education discourse community as a commentary on what is distinct about Canadian mathematics education.

Résumé

Au cours des quatre dernières décennies, une communauté nationale d’enseignement en mathématiques s’est progressivement créée malgré le caractère décentralisé du système d’éducation canadien. Cette communauté se distingue par la collaboration régionale en vue du développement des programmes, la coopération nationale pour la certification et la mobilité des enseignants, la présence de réseaux de recherche et la création d’un groupe national composé d’enseignants en mathématiques, de formateurs d’enseignants, de mathématiciens et de chercheurs en enseignement des mathématiques, tous unis par un intérêt commun pour l’enseignement et l’apprentissage de cette discipline. En faisant un retour sur les dernières quarante années d’éducation en mathématiques au Canada, j’explore les multiples aspects du discours de cette communauté sur l’enseignement en mathématiques au niveau national, afin d’en dégager la spécificité pour le Canada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Alberta, 832 Education South, 11210-87 Ave, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G5, Canada

    Elaine Simmt

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  1. Elaine Simmt
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Correspondence to Elaine Simmt.

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Simmt, E. What Is a Canadian Mathematics Education? A National Discourse Community. Can J Sci Math Techn 15, 407–417 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1080/14926156.2015.1091902

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