Are Schools of Education Failing the Tertiary Mathematics Sector?

Abstract

In the 1990s, two major issues emerged globally for tertiary mathematics educators: declining standards in the mathematical proficiency of students at tertiary-entry level and the advocates for the incorporation of IT into the processes of teaching and learning. Addressing these issues required significant reform of both curriculum content and classroom practice to ensure that the technology was used appropriately and effectively. These reforms were largely implemented by staff from tertiary Schools of Mathematics. Rather than leading the reform, the Education community lagged behind and in some instances has taken research into the use of IT in Mathematics Education in a questionable direction. In this paper, we outline what we contend has been a failure on the behalf of the Education community to tackle and address problems experienced by mathematics educators (particularly at the tertiary level) and make some suggestions for the directions of future research in Mathematics Education.