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Focus and Scope
The rousing success of the Topic Study Group 29, The History of Learning and Teaching Mathematics, at International Congress on Mathematics Education in Copenhagen in 2004 , demonstrated the need for a permanent and stable international forum for scholarly research in history of mathematics teaching. TSG 29's impact as the first international forum with a focus on mathematics education history continues to reverberate; and thus we feel confident that an international journal devoted to the history of mathematics teaching, complementary to journals in mathematics education, mathematics, and the history of mathematics, will be of substantial interest to educators, policymakers, researchers, historians, and mathematicians.
The major aim of the International Journal for the History of Mathematics Education is to provide mathematics teaching and mathematics education with its memory, in order to reveal the insights achieved in earlier periods (ranging from Ancient time to the late 20 th century) and to unravel the fallacies of past events (e.g., reform euphoria). This journal will inform mathematics educators and others about political, social, and cultural constraints (as evidenced by historical events, processes, and periods) in order to improve mathematics instruction. In doing so, the journal aims to overcome disconnected national, cultural, and social histories and to contribute to establishing common themes and characteristic of the development of mathematics instruction in many cultures, differentiating between what constitutes national specificities or particularities and what may be indicative of global trends. Moreover, given the intimate relationship between dissemination and production of new and/or enhanced mathematical knowledge, theoretical reflections on the function of teaching will contribute greatly to understanding concrete and practical forms of the relationships.
The Journal welcomes approaches which extend beyond a descriptive seriation of administrative decrees, curricula, etc, and rather situate the development of mathematics teaching within the history of mathematics and the educational, social, and political history of a region, country, or countries. Topics to be published in the Journal may range from the transmission of theory and practice from other countries and the impact of modernization on teaching practices within a particular country to the aspects of teaching practice, use of textbooks, teachers' associations, and journals, and the cultural role of mathematics and teacher education policy.
The primary focus of the journal will be the learning and teaching of mathematics in schools (primary and secondary grades as well as their functional equivalents), and hence the training of teachers for this instruction. Moreover, the institutional history of mathematics in higher education may be considered. All historical time periods and all cultures and nations are considered.
The journal will publish three types of papers:
• research articles (in general up to 15-20 pages), as refereed publications,
• notes (up to 5 pages), and
• book reviews (2 to 3 pages).
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: How often this journal is published?
Answer: Currently, the plan is to publish it twice a year, in the Spring and in the Fall.
Question: How can we subscribe to the journal?
Answer: All information is available at http://www.comap.com/historyjournal/subscription.html
Question: Historians are often accused of being prejudiced. Do you think that this criticism can apply to historians of mathematics education as well? Could you describe the overall philosophy of your journal? What kinds of articles do you envision in it?
Answer: As with any other subject, it is possible to find historians of mathematics education who distort actual history in order to make it correspond better to their own views. One can come across articles that, instead of providing historical analysis, offer what is in effect nothing more than political propaganda. However, the only thing that is truly useful for understanding both contemporary problems and contemporary politics is genuine history, not a history that has been dressed up to fit some predetermined scheme. In the classic formulation of Leopold Ranke, we believe that the problem is "to reconstruct the unique periods of the past as they actually were." Thus, we envision the articles in our journal as offering rigorously documented analysis and relying on an exhaustive study of the sources. The editors will strive to follow the highest standards of scientific rigor and scrupulousness as they have evolved in the historical disciplines.
Question: I am studying the history of teaching Calculus at my university. Would an article on this subject be of interest to your journal?
Answer: A great deal depends on the specific article. For example, if the period which the article deals with covers only the last 15 years, it would be difficult to consider this "history." On the other hand, an analysis of mathematics teaching even in a single educational institution over a period of many years can be of considerable interest. Please note that although the magazine will mainly focus on mathematics education in schools and on teaching future teachers, articles about the history of college education will also be considered.
Question: Which books may be reviewed in your journal? Can authors send in their own books for review? Where should they be sent?
Answer: All relatively recently published books and large works that are mainly devoted to the history of mathematics education may be reviewed. Reviews can be initiated by the authors themselves. Authors should send their works to the address indicated under "Contact Us." The editors reserve the right to decide whether the book submitted for review meets the criteria of the journal.
Question: The Information for Authors specifies that papers to be submitted should be written in English. What about other languages?
Answer: The principal goal of the Journal is to support the international exchange of research ideas and findings and to overcome the traditional confinement to country-specific historiography. The publication of a periodical in many languages would be contrary to this aim, and consequently it is not feasible. However, the editors and the board recognize the importance of the Journal as a source for studying the history of mathematics education in specific countries and are also strong proponents of cultural and language diversity. We remind prospective contributors that to assist in making the information about the published paper available for those with limited knowledge of English, an abstract in at least one other language of the author's choice can be published in addition to the abstract in English. Also, because there is an online edition parallel to the printed edition, we are able to offer contributors whose papers are accepted for publication the option of publishing their papers in their native language as well as in English in the online edition. Those interested in this option should contact us at ijhmteaching@yahoo.com to discuss technical details.
Comments from Colleagues
Joseph W. Dauben
(former Chair of the International Commission on the History of Mathematics)
It is always a pleasure to offer congratulations and wish a new journal well, especially one that promises to add considerably to the growing circle of those with a serious interest in history of mathematics. If it is to thrive it deserves the support of mathematicians, historians of mathematics, and educators alike. The history of mathematics teaching is as old as mathematics itself, and whether self-taught or learned at the feet of a master, from books, in a classroom, at a college or university, mathematics and teaching have always had an intimate and symbiotic relationship. This new journal, for the first time, will serve to investigate this subject in a serious and professional way. As a former editor of Historia Mathematica, I know full-well the challenges in store for any new journal and its editors. In the years ahead, may the International Journal for the History of Mathematics Education soon establish itself as an essential resource for everyone interested in the teaching of mathematics and the broad historical spectrum of cultures and disciplines within which it has been studied and advanced, from antiquity to the present.
Jean-Pierre Kahane
(former President of the Société Mathématique de France and ICMI President)
Les mathématiques ont un rapport à leur enseignement plus étroit qu'aucune autre science, et aussi un rapport à leur histoire qu'il est bon de réactiver sans cesse. Il y a de la matière pour l'histoire de leur enseignement, et cette histoire peut intéresser beaucoup de monde. Donc, bonne chance pour la revue!
Mathematics has a closer relationship to its instruction than any other science, as well as a relationship to its history, which it is good to renew constantly. There are materials on the history of mathematics education, and this history can interest many people. So good luck for the new journal!
Jeremy Kilpatrick
(member of the U.S. Mathematical Sciences Education Board)
The history of mathematics teaching goes back to the dawn of civilization and early efforts to provide education. Some educators would argue that as a social phenomenon, mathematics originates in teaching : It comes into existence when and only when its developer tries to teach it to someone else. The scholarly study of the history of mathematics teaching across societies and over time, however, is a relatively recent phenomenon. The new journal offers mathematics educators an attractive, convenient venue in which to recognize that scholarship.
Editorial Team
Chief Editor
Gert Schubring, Bielefeld University, GermanyManaging Editor
Alexander Karp, Teachers College, Columbia University, USA/RussiaEditorial Board
Abraham Arcavi, Israel
Elena Ausejo, Spain
Ahmed Djebbar, France/Algeria
Eileen Donoghue, USA
Fulvia Furinghetti, Italy
Paulus Gerdes, Moçambique
Hélène Gispert, France
Wann-Sheng Horng, Taiwan
Jeremy Kilpatrick, USA
João Bosco Pitombeira, Brazil
Leo Rogers, Great Britain
Yasuhiro Sekiguchi, Japan
Harm Jan Smid, Netherlands
Author Guidelines
The International Journal for the History of Mathematics Education publishes research articles, notes, and book reviews. All papers should be written in English, typed double-spaced, and must conform to the style specified in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed). The following format is to be used for bibliographical information:
Periodical:
Author, A.A., Author, B.B., & Author, C.C. (2006). Title of article. Title of periodical, xx, xxx-xxx.
Nonperiodical:
Author, A.A. (2006). Title of work. Location: Publisher.
Part of a nonperiodical (e.g. book chapter):
Author, A.A., & Author, B.B. (2006). Title of chapter. In A.Editor, B.Editor, & C.Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx). Location: Publisher.
In all cases, authors' first names may be given in full (if this seems significant). For example:
Author, Alexander A. (2006). Title of work. Location: Publisher.
The Journal does not accept articles that have been previously published or are being simultaneously considered for publication by other periodicals.
Research articles should be submitted with the author's name, affiliation, address, and e-mail address on a separate page to ensure anonymity in the reviewing process and should begin with an abstract of about 100 words on a separate page. The expected length of a research paper is 15–25 pages, not counting the cover page, abstract, references, tables, and figures. Figures should be submitted in a camera ready form. Once a research paper is accepted for publication, one more abstract of about 100 words in any language of the author's choice other than English may also be submitted.
Notes may be devoted to such topics as indicating new sources of information or discussing various questions of importance to the research community and should not exceed 5 pages. Book reviews must be no longer than 2–3 pages.
For an initial submission to the Journal one hard copy and a diskette with the manuscript saved in rich text format should be mailed to Alexander Karp, IJHME, Program in Mathematics, Box 210, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY, 10027, USA. Another copy of the manuscript (with all figures and tables) saved in rich text format should be e-mailed as an attachment to ijhmteaching@yahoo.com.
Submission Preparation Checklist
- The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
- The submission file is in rich text format.
- The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines, which is found above.
- The text, if submitted to a peer-reviewed section (e.g., Articles), has had the authors' names removed. If an author is cited, "Author" and year are used in the bibliography and footnotes, instead of author's name, paper title, etc. The author's name has also been removed from the document's Properties, which in Microsoft Word is found in the File menu.
- Additionally, one hard copy and a diskette with the manuscript saved in rich text format should be mailed to:
Alexander Karp
IJHME, Program in Mathematics
Box 210
Teachers College, Columbia University
525 West 120th Street
New York, NY, 10027, USA
Privacy Statement
The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party