International Commission on Mathematical Instruction
The International Commission on Mathematical Instruction is a commission of the International Mathematical Union and is an internationally acting organization focusing on mathematics education. ICMI was founded in 1908 at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Rome and aims to improve teaching standards around the world, through programs, workshops and initiatives and publications. It aims to work a great deal with developing countries, to increase teaching standards and education which can improve life quality and aid the country.
History
was founded at the ICM, and mathematician Felix Klein was elected first president of the organisation. Henri Fehr and Charles Laisant created the international research journal L'Enseignement Mathématique in 1899, and from early on this journal became the official organ of ICMI. A bulletin is published twice a year by ICMI, and from December 1995 this bulletin has been available at the organisation's official website, in their 'digital library'.In the years between World War I and World War II there was little activity in the organization, but in 1952 ICMI was reconstituted. At this time the organization was reorganized, and it became an official commission of the International Mathematical Union. As a scientific organization, IMU is a member of the International Council for Science. Although ICMI follows the general principles of IMU and ICSU, the organization has a large degree of autonomy.
Structure
All countries that are members of IMU are automatically members of ICMI; membership is also possible for non-IMU members. Currently, there are 90 member states of ICMI. Each member state has the right to appoint a national representative.As a commission, ICMI has two main bodies:
- the Executive Committee
- the national representatives from the member countries
Affiliate Organisations
These include multi-national organisations, which are independent from ICMI and have interests in the field of mathematics.There are currently four multinational Mathematical Education Societies:
- CIAEM: Inter-American Committee on Mathematics Education
- CIEAEM: International Commission for the Study and Improvement of Mathematics Teaching
- ERME: European Society for Research in Mathematics Education
- MERGA: Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia
- HPM: The International Study Group on the Relations between the History and Pedagogy of Mathematics
- ICTMA: The International Study Group for Mathematical Modelling and Applications
- IOWME: The International Organization of Women and Mathematics Education
- IGMCG: The International Group for Mathematical Creativity and Giftedness
- PME: The International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education
- WFNMC: The World Federation of National Mathematics Competitions
International Congress on Mathematical Education
The International Congress on Mathematical Education is a quadrennial international conference organised under the auspices of ICMI to encourage and improve discourse on the development of mathematical education across the world. The first ever ICME was held in 1969 under the initiative of then ICMI President Hans Freudenthal. To date, there have been fifteen ICMEs in fourteen countries spread over all populated continents except Africa.| Name of Conference & Proceedings | Year | City | Notes |
| 1969 | Lyon, France | The first of only two ICMEs not to have been held in a leap year, second being ICME14. | |
| 1972 | Exeter, UK | ||
| 1976 | Karlsruhe, Germany | ||
| 1980 | Berkeley, USA | ||
| 1984 | Adelaide, Australia | ||
| 1988 | Budapest, Hungary | ||
| 1992 | Quebec, Canada | ||
| 1996 | Seville, Spain | ||
| 2000 | Tokyo, Japan | ||
| 2004 | Copenhagen, Denmark | ||
| 2008 | Monterrey, Mexico | No official proceedings published, some details available on ICMI website | |
| 2012 | Seoul, South Korea | ||
| 2016 | Hamburg, Germany | ||
| ICME-14 | 2021 | Shanghai, China | Delayed from 2020, hence 2nd Congress not on leap year |
Proceedings not yet available | 2024 | Sydney Australia | Sparked controversy over allegations of discrimination against women of color & institutional casteism after the extra-procedural expulsion of Dr. Jayasree Subramanian. |
| 2028 | Prague, Czech Republic | Scheduled for July 2028. |
ICMI Studies
Each ICMI Study addresses an issue or topic of particular significance in contemporary mathematics education and is conducted by an international team of leading scholars and practitioners in that domain. The best contributing professionals from around the world are then invited to a carefully planned and structured international conference/workshop. Beyond the productive interaction and collaborations occasioned by this event, the main product is a Study volume, which are published in the New ICMI Study Series by Springer Science+Business Media.Awards
From 2000 onwards ICMI has been presenting the Felix Klein Award and the Hans Freudenthal Award. These prizes recognise outstanding achievement in mathematics education research. In 2013 the ICMI Emma Castelnuovo Award for Excellence in the Practice of Mathematics Education was created.- The Felix Klein Award, named after the first president of the ICMI, honours a lifetime achievement: Guy Brousseau, Ubiratan D'Ambrosio, Jeremy Kilpatrick, Gilah Leder, Michèle Artigue.
- The Hans Freudenthal Award, named after the eighth president of ICMI, recognises a major cumulative programme of research: Celia Hoyles, Paul Cobb, Anna Sfard, Yves Chevallard, Luis Radford, Frederick Leung.
- The ICMI Emma Castelnuovo Award The award recognizes outstanding achievements in the practice of mathematics education. The award is named after Emma Castelnuovo, an Italian mathematics educator born in 1913 to celebrate her 100th birthday and honour her pioneering work. Awardees: Hugh Burkhardt and Malcolm Swan.
ICMI Emma Castelnuovo Award
In 2013 the ICMI Emma Castelnuovo Award for Excellence in the Practice of Mathematics Education was created. The award recognizes outstanding achievements in the practice of mathematics education. The award is named after Emma Castelnuovo, an Italian mathematics educator born in 1913 to celebrate her 100th birthday and honour her pioneering work.The award honours persons, groups, projects, institutions or organizations engaged in the development and implementation of exceptional and influential work in the practice of mathematics education, including: classroom teaching, curriculum development, instructional design, teacher preparation programs and/or field projects with a shown influence on schools, districts, regions or countries.
The award consists of a medal and a certificate accompanied by a citation and will be awarded only once every four years, delivered at the International Congress on Mathematical Education.
At each ICME, the medals and certificates of the awards are presented at the Opening Ceremony. Furthermore, the awardees are invited to present special lectures at the Congress.