21project

An international educational initiative whose coordinators are Dr. Alan Rogerson (Poland) and Professor Fayez Mina (Egypt). Since its inception in 1986, the Mathematics Education into the 21^st Century Project has received support and funding from many educational bodies and institutions throughout the world. In 1992 UNESCO published our Project Handbook "Moving Into the 21st Century" as Volume 8 in the UNESCO series Studies In Mathematics Education.

The Mathematics Education into the 21^st Century Project is dedicated to the improvement of mathematics education world-wide through the publication and dissemination of innovative ideas. Many prominent mathematics educators have supported and contributed to the project, including the late Hans Freudental, Andrejs Dunkels and Hilary Shuard, Bruce Meserve and Marilyn Suydam, Alan Osborne and Margaret Kasten, Mogens Niss, Tibor Nemetz, Brian Wilson, Tatsuro Miwa, Henry Pollack, Werner Blum, Roberto Baldino, Waclaw Zawadowski, and many others throughout the world.

For the most up to date information, however, we recommend that you email alan@rogerson.pol.pl

The Mathematics Education into the 21^st Century Project has the following National Representatives: Associate Professor Madiha Mohamed Abd El- Rahman Egypt, Dr. Reda Abu-Elwan Oman, Associate Professor Noor Azlan Ahmad Zanzali Malaysia, Professor Angel Balderas Mexico, Dr. Ren* Berthelot France, Dr. Cinzia Bonotto Italy, Gail Burrill USA, Professor Indira Chacko Zimbawe, Prof Dr.Erik De Corte Belgium, Coralie Daniel New Zealand, Prof. Dr. Franco Favilli Italy, Professor Gunnar Gjone Norway, Pam Hagen Canada, Dr Hanan Innabi Jordan, Professor George Malaty Finland, Prof Dr. Ivan Meznik Czech Republic, Rob Money Australia, Willy Mwakapenda Malawi, Dr. Maria Luisa Oliveras Spain, Chris Ormell UK, Assoc Prof Lionel Pereira-Mendoza Singapore, Dr. Medhat Rahim Canada, Dr. Fatimah Saleh Malaysia, Dr. Maher Y. Shawer USA, Dr Tony Sofo Australia, Dr. Filippo Spagnolo Italy, Teresa Vergani Portugal, Professor Derrick Young South Africa, Professor Wacek Zawadowski Poland

áFounded in 1986 as an international educational initiative to promote and disseminate innovative ideas in mathematics education.

áPublished in 1992 as a UNESCO Handbook a collection of papers which summarised the Present State of the Art of Mathematics Education globally.

áCollected many Futurist Trends in Mathematics Education which are being presented at a series of International Conferences: "Mathematics Education into the 21^st Century: Societal Challenges, Issues and Approaches"in Cairo, Egypt 1999, "Mathematics for Living" in Amman, Jordan 2000, "New Ideas in Mathematics Education" in Palm Cove, Australia 2001, Palermo, Sicily 2002, Brno, Czech Republic 2003 , Ciechocinek, Poland 2004, Malaysia 2005, Charlotte, USA 2007, Dresden, Germany 2009.

áHas the active support of many of the world's leading mathematics educators. Plenary speakers at the above conferences include Prof. Wacek Zawadowski (Poland), Prof. Gila Hanna (Canada), Prof. Ismail-Sabri Abdalla (Egypt), Prof. Derrick Young (South Africa), Prof Omar Al-Shake (Jordan), Prof. Bruno D'Amore (Italy), Gail Burrill (USA), Prof. Lionel Pereira Mendoza (Singapore).

áWorks internationally with The Third World Forum, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, The Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, The Virtual School for the Gifted, SNM (Poland) and many other organisations and universities throughout the world.

áIn 2001 initiated a global initiative - Super Course or World Wide Mathematics to produce innovative materials to help the teaching and learning of mathematics throughout the world.

áWe will use our extensive international contacts and experience to create a large database of innovative ideas, useful materials and software that have already been found successful in schools. This database or Data Bank will be called World Wide Mathematics (WWM).

áInspired by this database, Super Course writing teams will create new and better courses for students around the world. These courses will be written by independent but cooperative national teams of writers in different countries and in different languages.

áEach national team will be able to select from the database what is best for their country, in order to write new and creative materials to produce a state-of-the-art Super Course in their own language.

áEach national Super Course might be a series of text-books, resource materials, books/ideas for teachers, or might provide good models of text books in centralised systems of education.

áThe overall objective for each Super Course team in each country would be to make available for the first time the very best materials/ideas that have already been developed, often in isolation, in all parts of the world.

áWe believe that the role of new technology will be crucial in future educational innovation.

áUsing the familiar miracle of email and Internet, it will be possible to communicate much of our database of innovative ideas and materials quickly and easily throughout the world.

áOur four years experience with the world's first and only fully interactivevirtual school - the VSG - will be invaluable in incorporating in Super Course the very best and most recent technological innovations as they develop.

áOur educational aim is to help students learn mathematics better and to enjoy and to find more interesting and relevant the mathematics they learn.

áOur humanistic/political aim is to eliminate barriers and prejudices based on gender, race or social class & to empower our students to change for the better the world in which they live.

áOur pragmatic aim is to produce a course and/or ideas and materials for students and teachers that will be successful in terms of school adoption because it is the best course available in each country.

áWe are a very open project and welcome assistance and cooperation from everyone, whatever their experience or expertise.

áSuper Course needs creators, writers, teachers, testers, editors, reviewers and just plain critics and observers - SuperCourse will be a 5-10 year initiative!

áWas held from June 28-July 2, 2001 in a former country house converted to a Teachers Conference Centre in the tiny village of Zajaczkowo, near Poznan, Poland.

áWas the largest and most important international meeting in mathematics education ever held in Poland.

áWas attended by more than 100 school teachers and university lecturers, approximately 70 from all parts of Poland and 30 from 14 other countries, including Australia, South Africa, Canada, Egypt, Jordan, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Germany and Great Britain.

áStarted to plan work for a 5-10 year project - Super Course - to prepare and publish innovative materials for mathematics teaching in Polish, English, German, Italian and Arabic.

áThe next planning meeting for Super Course will be held at the project's international conference in Palm Cove, Queensland, Australia from August 19-24, 2001.

áRegional meetings for Super Course Writing Groups are being planned for later in the year 2001 in Poland, Italy, Portugal, and the UK.

áIt is hoped to hold an international Super Course Meeting in conjunction with the ICOTS Conference in South Africa in July, 2002.