Some Key Events & Researchers:
A Math Education Timeline
When I read research articles I find myself trying to place them in context of when they were written. In an attempt to make this process easier for myself and others I developed the timeline below. While it is by no means comprehensive, I hope it helps without being overwhelming.
(Please note: the dates next to the researchers indicate when they were actively publishing works, not birth and death)
The timeline below has links to more information for an added Dash of Research!
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EVENTS:
1957 - Sputnick Launch
With the Soviet Union launch of the first satellite, Sputnick, the U.S. wanted to ensure that it could defend itself in the future. The launch spurred the creation of the National Defense Education Act (1958) in order to provide funding for improving science, math, and foreign language education. This act was the first example of the federal government passing comprehensive education legislation.
1950s to 60s - New Math
A collection of curriculum projects created in an attempt to “reform the way Americans thought about mathematics” (Phillips, 2015, pp. 1-2), which shied away from rote calculations and added new content such as set theory and modular arithmetic. It was at its most popular in the mid-1960s and just a short time later was rejected by the early 1970s, to be followed with the “back to the basics” movement.
Christopher J. Phillips. (2015). The New Math : A Political History. University of Chicago Press.
1970 - Back to Basics Movement
In general, mathematics curriculum reverted back to what it was before the New Math movement with a greater focus on skills and procedure.
Schoenfeld, A. H. (2004). The Math Wars. Educational Policy, 18(1), 253–286.
1970 - Process-Product Moment
Historical shift in math education research where certain assumptions and philosophies are embraced and others are rejected, which has implications for theories and methods adopted by researchers. While not all researchers followed this trend, research in the Process-Product Moment generally attempted to link student outcomes (products) to classroom practices through statistical methods.
Stinson, D. W., & Bullock, E. C. (2015). Critical postmodern methodology in mathematics education research: Promoting another way of thinking and looking. Philosophy of Mathematics Education Journal, 29, 1–18.
1980 - Interpretivist-Constructivist Moment
Historical shift in math education research where certain assumptions and philosophies are embraced and others are rejected, which has implications for theories and methods adopted by researchers. Research in the Interpretivist-Constructivist Moment generally attempted to understand social phenomena. While both interpretivist research and constructivist research was occurring during this time, they use different theories and methods to understand social phenomena, with interpretivists looking for the meanings that people assign to social phenomena and constructivists looking at how people construct those meanings over time.
Stinson, D. W., & Bullock, E. C. (2015). Critical postmodern methodology in mathematics education research: Promoting another way of thinking and looking. Philosophy of Mathematics Education Journal, 29, 1–18.
1983 - A Nation at Risk Report
An open letter to the American public relaying the need for urgent improvement in the U.S. public school system in order for the U.S. to maintain its status as a leader in innovation. Among other topics, it discussed the need for certain courses, higher standards, increased instructional time, and changes to increase teacher quality. The report was used to implement changes in the educational system, but also drew criticism from scholars.
https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/a-nation-at-risk/2004/09
https://www.reaganfoundation.org/media/130020/a-nation-at-risk-report.pdf
1985 - Social-Turn Moment
Historical shift in math education research where certain assumptions and philosophies are embraced and others are rejected, which has implications for theories and methods adopted by researchers. Research in the Social-Turn Moment generally viewed sociocultural contexts as a key factor for understanding social phenomena. Here “meaning, thinking, and reasoning are understood as products of social activity in contexts” (Stinson & Bullock, 2015, p. 8).
Stinson, D. W., & Bullock, E. C. (2015). Critical postmodern methodology in mathematics education research: Promoting another way of thinking and looking. Philosophy of Mathematics Education Journal, 29, 1–18.
1989 - NCTM Created 1st Standards
At this point in time there was no federal mechanism that developed educational standards. The NCTM responded to the lack of direction by creating a set of standards that would help to build students’ mathematical literacy by guiding the revision of math curriculum.
Schoenfeld, A. H. (2004). The Math Wars. Educational Policy, 18(1), 253–286.
1998 - Math Wars Reach National Scale
Advocates of “traditional” and “reform” mathematics fought at a national level over the direction that math curriculum should take.
Schoenfeld, A. H. (2004). The Math Wars. Educational Policy, 18(1), 253–286.
2000 - Sociopolitical-Turn Moment
Historical shift in math education research where certain assumptions and philosophies are embraced and others are rejected, which has implications for theories and methods adopted by researchers. Research in the Sociopolitical-Turn Moment generally looked to “explore the wider social and political picture of mathematics education” (Stinson & Bullock, 2015, p. 9).
Stinson, D. W., & Bullock, E. C. (2015). Critical postmodern methodology in mathematics education research: Promoting another way of thinking and looking. Philosophy of Mathematics Education Journal, 29, 1–18.
2009 - Common Core Standards
Created in an initiative led by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Common Core standards were written to address the lack of nationwide standards. States were not required to adopt the Common Core standards, but by 2011 all but four states had done so. However there was controversy surrounding the adoption of the standards, leading some states to reverse their decision.
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/the-common-core-explained/2015/09
2009 - Common Core Standards
Created in an initiative led by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Common Core standards were written to address the lack of nationwide standards. States were not required to adopt the Common Core standards, but by 2011 all but four states had done so. However there was controversy surrounding the adoption of the standards, leading some states to reverse their decision.
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/the-common-core-explained/2015/09
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RESEARCHERS:
1984 - 1949
JOHN DEWEY
A pragmatist philosopher, Dewey developed a philosophy of education that had global reach. His philosophy countered earlier models of teaching, which were dominated by lecture and rote learning. Instead he argued that the curriculum should be relevant to the needs of students, who should be active in the learning process, not passive listeners.
Link to National Endowment for the Humanities Portrait
1912 - 1978
GEORGE POLYA
In addition to his mathematics research he was an advocate for the improvement of teaching methods, looking to support student thinking rather than rote memorization. Considered “the father of problem solving in math education,” he developed a set of four principles to help guide students through the problem solving process.
Link to National Acadamy of Sciences Memoir
1918 - 1980
JEAN PIAGET
A Swiss psychologist, Piaget was interested in researching how knowledge grows. He was the first to systematically study how children acquire knowledge, coming to view the process as a progressive construction where a child creates and re-creates their models of reality over time. He linked set stages of development to age groups, which were used to inform the field of education.
1920 - 1934
LEV VYGOTSKY
A Russian psychologist, he developed several theories in the field of cognition which highlighted the role of social interaction. His theories, which include Sociocultural Theory, utilize two main principles: the More Knowledgeable Other and the Zone of Proximal Development. He was also the first psychologist to value self-talk as part of cognitive development in children.
Link to FamousPsychologists.org Biography
Link to SimplyPsychology.org Biography (also compares Vygotsky's Theory to Piaget's)
1940 - 1978
EDWARD G. BEGLE
Begle was a prominent figure in mathematics education, directing the development of the “new math” curriculum in addition to his other research contributions. His vision for curriculum was to develop understanding instead of encouraging memorization.
1952 - 2002
SEYMOUR PAPERT
Before computers were commonplace, Papert had a vision of how they could be used to provide new ways of learning mathematics. At MIT he worked to create opportunities for children to use computers to experiment and explore mathematical ideas, supporting the development of the Logo programming language. Papert is also well known for his Constructionist theory of learning and spent many years collaborating with Piaget.
1962 - 2010
ERNST VON GLASERSFELD
A philosopher originally from Austria, he is well known for his work on Radical Constructivism. He established the Interdisciplinary Research on Number (IRON) research program in 1976 with Leslie Steffe and John Richards.
Link to YouTube video of von Glasersfeld
1964 - 2010
ELEANOR DUCKWORTH
An educator, cognitive psychologist, and educational theorist, Duckworth is known for her research on learning and teacher education which is guided her background in Piaget’s work. She is a former student of Jean Piaget and is a leading translator of his works.
1966 - Present
LESLIE P. STEFFE
A math education researcher, Steffe’s work focuses on Constructivism and Radical Constructivism. He established the Interdisciplinary Research on Number (IRON) research program in 1976 with von Glasersfeld and John Richards.
1973 - Present
ALAN SCHOENFELD
Schoenfeld’s large body of research looks at effective mathematics thinking, teaching, and learning. His main focus is the Teaching for Robust Understanding (TRU) framework, which looks to characterize productive learning environments that help students become powerful thinkers. He is also working on the NSF funded Algebra Teaching Study and the Mathematics Assessment Project (MAP) along with other projects.
Link to YouTube Speach on TRU Framework
1975 - Present
PAUL ERNEST
An emeritus professor at the University of Exeter, Ernest is a member of the Center for Research in Stem Education (CRISTEME) and Education Theory Reading Network research groups and is also the editor of the Philosophy of Mathematics Education Journal. His main body of research focuses on the implications that the philosophy of mathematics has for education, with a social constructivist view.
1978 - Present
JAMES HIEBERT
Hiebert’s research focuses on the continuous improvement of teaching in mathematics classrooms over time and the impact that it has on both students and teachers. His work connects psychological theories and mathematics education, contributing to the development of mathematics curriculum and teacher education. He has also worked on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), developing methods for studying lessons.
1979 - Present
PATRICK THOMPSON
Interested in mathematical cognition and technology use in mathematics education, Thompson’s research generally falls within the realm of quantitative reasoning and representations of it. He created a theory of quantitative reasoning which is used by researchers around the world. Steffe was Thompson’s dissertation advisor.
1980 - Present
MAGDALENE LAMPERT
Focusing on mathematics teacher education, Lampert has sought to understand and communicate the complex practice of teaching while presenting concrete ways to enact educational reform.
Link to University of Michigan Profile
1983 - Present
PAUL COBB
With a focus on supporting student learning and teacher development, Cobb looks to contribute to the improvement of mathematics education through research that aims to understand large scale reform. He has published several works with Steffe and von Glasersfeld.
Link to National Academy of Education Biography
Link to YouTube Talk on Improving Teaching & Learning of Mathematics
1983 - Present
DOUGLAS CLEMENTS
Conducting research in the areas of early math education, learning trajectories, educational technology, and assessment; Clements has contributed to many aspects of mathematics education, especially within the field of early childhood mathematics education. He has published many works with Dr. Julie Sarama (Link to her DU Profile), who is also a distinguished math education researcher.
1985 - Present
MARTIN SIMON
Simon’s research interests include how students develop mathematical concepts, supporting conceptual learning, and teacher development. He is currently the principal investigator for the Measurement Approach to Rational Number (MARN) project, which looks to support elementary students as they learn about multiplicative reasoning, fractions, and proportional reasoning.
1988 - Present
ANNA SFARD
While Sfard is a Professor of Mathematics Education, her work expands to the more general domain of learning sciences, where she focuses on the connection between thinking and communication. This has led to her “commognitive” framework, which considers thought as a form of communication.
Link to University of Haifa Profile
1988 - Present
DEBORAH LOEWENBERG BALL
Ball’s work looks at different facets that are comprised in the practice of teaching, including the types of mathematical knowledge needed for teaching, and is an expert on teacher education. She has a passion of elementary mathematics education and taught for over 15 years at the elementary school level.
Link to DeborahLoewenbergBall.com
1995 - Present
RON TZUR
Tzur’s research interests include the conceptual development of early number knowledge, multiplicative and fractional reasoning, the mental processes involved in developing knowledge of concepts, and multiple forms of teacher perspectives. He has written several publications with Simon and is currently a principle investigator on multiple projects, one of which looks to support the use of student-adaptive pedagogy at the elementary school level.
1998 - Present
PUNYA MISHRA
With a deep interest in educational technology, Mishra is widely recognized for his research in technology integration in the field of teaching. Along with Dr. Koehler (Link to his MSU Profile), Mishra developed the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, which extended Shulman's Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) framework.
2000 - Present
NATHALIE SINCLAIR
A Canadian math education researcher, Sinclair explores mathematical thinking and learning through the lens of embodied cognition. She explores the implications of embodied cognition in human to human interactions as well as interactions that occur with digital technology. She has led the design for several educational technologies, including the TouchCounts App, which enables users to explore numbers and arithmetic with finger gestures, and dynamic geometry apps as part of the Geometry for Young Learners group.
Link to Simon Fraser University Profile