by Norbert M. Seel
Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Germany
Schooling, especially in mathematics and science, has been criticized for decades. Actually, despite the increase of budgets, the implementation of new programs, the lengthening of school days and years, and the addition of new subjects and the deletion of others, the results of these efforts have been disappointing. Thus, with regard to mathematics education, Peterson (1988) criticized the elementary school mathematics curriculum “as based on the assumption that computational skills must be learned before children are taught to solve even simple word problems” (p. 7). The curriculum also reflects this sequence at the secondary level: Students generally take arithmetic
Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Germany
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Schooling, especially in mathematics and science, has been criticized for decades. Actually, despite the increase of budgets, the implementation of new programs, the lengthening of school days and years, and the addition of new subjects and the deletion of others, the results of these efforts have been disappointing. Thus, with regard to mathematics education, Peterson (1988) criticized the elementary school mathematics curriculum “as based on the assumption that computational skills must be learned before children are taught to solve even simple word problems” (p. 7). The curriculum also reflects this sequence at the secondary level: Students generally take arithmetic
