The Origin and Evolution of the Concept of Mathematics Curriculum

Mathematical knowledge has been transmitted between generations and from one culture to another, prospering at different times and places through the centuries. This chapter briefly introduces curricula in premodern times: programs of educational establishments arising to meet demands for trained personnel of the state and religious bodies; vocational schools for merchants, artisans, and craftsmen; and academies for navigation and military training, providing mathematical knowledge answering the needs of the various vocations and professions. Mathematics education in the environment of colonization had many facades, both causing severe clashes and creating transnational uniformity, albeit often imposed. The concept of mathematical education as a tool to develop cognitive abilities of individuals was conceived in addition to its utilitarian function, and gradually education, including mathematics, for the many, became provided in organized school systems from around 1800. Adapting mathematics to the many has led to a series of school mathematics reform movements, incorporating pedagogical principles, an ever-continuing development. The chapter discusses the concept of mathematics curriculum from a global and broad historical time perspective, its changing meanings, and interpretations from early civilizations, through early modern and modern developments to the reforms of the twentieth century.