Timeline about the Didactics of Mathematics

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    Scientific Training and Curriculum Development

    Mathematics gains prominence in curriculum across industrialized nations, driven by the need for scientific and technological progress.
    Carlo Bourlet highlights the societal role of teachers in accelerating humanity’s progress (Bourlet 1910).
  • Integration of Epistemology

    Integration of Epistemology
    The French didactic approach starts incorporating epistemological analysis into mathematics education, focusing on understanding the genesis and development of mathematical knowledge.
  • Brousseau's Contributions

    Brousseau's Contributions
    Brousseau introduces the concept of "epistemological obstacles" in mathematics education, emphasizing inherent challenges in understanding mathematical concepts due to their historical development.
  • Bachelard's Influence

    Bachelard's Influence
    Bachelard’s work on epistemological obstacles is referenced, which explores how these obstacles are integral to the process of knowledge development and understanding.
  • Michele Artigue’s Seminal Work

    Michele Artigue’s Seminal Work
    Artigue publishes a foundational paper discussing the role of epistemological analysis in teaching. She identifies three key functions:
    - Analyzing how knowledge objects appear in school practice.
    - Understanding knowledge formation and constraints in educational contexts.
    - Addressing epistemological obstacles and their impact on learning.
  • Artigue’s Plenary Conference

    Artigue’s Plenary Conference
    Artigue returns to her epistemological analysis in a plenary conference at the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group, further exploring the role of epistemology in understanding different mathematics education theories.
  • Refinement of Historical-Epistemological Analysis

    Refinement of Historical-Epistemological Analysis
    Advances in understanding the historical-epistemological aspects of mathematics education are made, including works by Fauvel and Van Maanen. The theoretical assumptions behind epistemological obstacles are better articulated.
  • Adaptations of Epistemological Obstacles

    Adaptations of Epistemological Obstacles
    Researchers like D’Amore adapt the concept of epistemological obstacles to various educational contexts, reflecting the growing sophistication in understanding these obstacles.
  • Further Developments

    Further Developments
    Barbin and others continue to refine the understanding and application of epistemological obstacles in mathematics education
  • Materialist Hermeneutics

    Materialist Hermeneutics
    The use of materialist hermeneutics to explore the cultural roots of knowledge is discussed, emphasizing the socio-cultural contexts of mathematical knowledge development.