Celebrating the first century of ICMI (1908-2008) Some aspects of the history of ICMI

TL;DR

This paper reviews the history of ICMI, highlighting its evolution as an academic discipline in mathematics education over the first century, especially post-WWII developments and key figures involved.

Contribution

It provides a historical analysis based on unpublished documents, emphasizing the roles of Heinrich Behnke and Hans Freudenthal in shaping ICMI's development.

Findings

Post-WWII institutional developments in ICMI

Key roles of Behnke and Freudenthal in ICMI's evolution

Outline of mathematics education's growth as an academic discipline

Abstract

The celebration of the Centennial of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction offered the occasion to look back at the history of ICMI and outline the evolution of mathematics education until it achieved its present status as an academic discipline. The years after WWII up to the late 1960s were crucial in this evolution for both the settlement of some institutional aspects, mainly concerning the relationship with mathematicians, and the establishment of new trends of the activities. In this paper we outline, on the basis of unpublished documents, the role of two important figures in those years: Heinrich Behnke and Hans Freudenthal.