Current Issues In Mathematics Education Materials Of The American-Russian Workshop

Preface

The present publication comprises a collection of articles by the participants in the Russian-American workshop "Current Issues in Mathematics Education," which took place on November 18-20, 2016 in New York. The workshop was organized with support from the Eurasia Foundation in the form of a grant presented to the Moscow State Pedagogical University and Teachers College, Columbia University. Participants in the workshop included faculty from both institutions, as well as invited guests and colleagues, and doctoral and masters students of Teachers College, Columbia University. The collection opens with an introduction by A.P. Karp, followed by the articles in alphabetical order. Articles written in Russian were translated into English for this publication (conversely, for the Russian edition, articles originally in English were translated into Russian.)

The materials presented here mirror to a large extent the events of the workshop. They cannot, however, capture the extensive discussions of the papers and the problems they raised, which followed each of the presentations. A video recording of the workshop is available for those interested in that aspect of the proceedings. At the same time, publication of the papers delivered by the principal participants will likewise permit the reader to follow the discussion, as it were, by tracing the similarities and differences in the specific problems encountered in either country. To be sure, the issues named and discussed here do not make up an exhaustive list. Mathematics education today faces a host of challenges, and ideas concerning their origins and remedies are just as numerous. We must continue the discussion, facing head-on the difficulties and setbacks. Neither shall we attempt to isolate ourselves from the experiences of other nations, but rather try to use those experiences to our advantage wherever possible. It is our hope that the materials presented here will prove useful in that regard.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Julia DeButts, Sergey Levchin and Juliana Fullon for their assistance in organizing the workshop and preparing the materials for publication.

Alexander Karp

CONTENTS

Preface

Reflecting on the Current Issues in Mathematics Education
Alexander Karp

MathKit and Math Practicum
Vladimir N. Dubrovsky, Vladimir A. Bulychev

Making Cultural Change
Sol Garfunkel

Using Technology in Mathematics Education
Irina Ovsyannikova

Mathematical Education in Russia: Modern Approaches to Math Teacher Preparation
Sergei A. Polikarpov

Implementation of the Conceptual Framework for Russian Mathematical Education
Aleksey L. Semenov

Goals and Challenges of Mathematical Olympiads of Today: Science, Sport, University Admission, or Status?
Vladimir Z. Sharich

Mathematical Research Problems in Russian Schools
Dmitry E. Shnol

Some Political, Sociological, and Cultural Issues Related to Mathematics Teaching and Learning in the United States
Erica N. Walker

The Dilemma of Advanced Mathematics: Instructional Approaches for Secondary Mathematics Teacher Education
Nicholas H. Wasserman

Notes on Contributors