Actors in the changes of ICMI: Heinrich Behnke and Hans Freudenthal

Abstract

The years after WWII up to the late 1960s were crucial in the evolution of ICMI (International Commission on Mathematical Instruction) for both the settlement of some institutional aspects (mainly concerning the relationship with mathematicians) and the establishment of new trends of the activities. By referring to unpublished documents, this paper focuses on the role of two key figures in those years: Heinrich Behnke and Hans Freudenthal. As ICMI Secretary and later as President, Behnke tried to reshape the newborn ICMI after WWII and clarify the relationship with mathematicians. His action was completed by Freudenthal, who, as ICMI President, broke with the past and promoted initiatives that fostered the development of mathematics education as an academic field and the independence of ICMI from the community of mathematicians. Keywords: history, ICMI, mathematicians, mathematics education

“Dig Where You Stand” 7. Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on the History of Mathematics Education. September 19-23, 2022, Mainz, Germany

“…As we showed in (Furinghetti, Giacardi, & Menghini, 2020), when Behnke launched his proposals, the time was not yet ripe for such radical changes.…”

“…At the Symposium celebrating ICMI's first centenary, we illustrated how from 1970 onwards one can speak of ICMI's Renaissance, see (Furinghetti, Menghini, Giacardi, & Arzarello, 2008). The presidents of the 1950s and the 1960s (Behnke, Stone, Lichnerowicz) paved the way, but definitely Freudenthal's initiatives-the journal Educational Studies in Mathematics and the International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME)-were the trigger that changed ICMI and fostered the development of mathematics education as a research discipline.…”

“…In (Furinghetti, Giacardi, & Menghini, 2020), we have taken into consideration the work of presidents Heinrich Behnke and Hans Freudenthal, mainly to show their efforts to renew the Commission and to define its relationship with the mathematical community. In this paper we focus on the contributions of presidents Marshall H. Stone (1969-1962), and André Lichnerowicz (1963-1966.…”