Topic Study Groups
The purpose of a TSG is to gather a group of congress participants who are interested in a particular topic in mathematics education. The word ‘study’ suggests that the activities of the groups will include presentations and discussions of important new trends and developments in research or practice related to the topic under consideration. The purpose of TSGs is to provide both an overview of the current state-of-the-art in the topic, and expositions of outstanding recent contributions to it, as seen from an international perspective. Among the many components of the program of an ICME, the TSGs are of the utmost importance, as these are the main forums where individuals attending the congress can bring a concrete contribution and also be in direct interaction with other participants. By their very nature, some of the topics are focused more on research than on practice. For others the opposite will be the case, in contrast several topics will have a fairly equal balance of the two. To some extent, a number of the topics in the list for the Topic Study Groups have overlaps with other topics. Even so, each topic has a well-defined and specific ‘center of gravity’ that makes it clearly discernible from the others in the list.
The list of topics is organized into six clusters. The first cluster, TSG 1-5, consists of Topic Study Groups that focus on New developments and trends in mathematics education at the mainstream educational levels, preschool to tertiary. The next cluster TSG 6-9 focuses on mathematics education dealing with specific categories of students or population groups. The cluster, TSG 10-17 (Research and development in the teaching and learning of â¦) focuses on matters and issues pertaining to content related aspects of mathematics curricula, across educational levels, and to teaching and learning in relation to those aspects. The cluster formed by TSG 18-26 deals with the overarching perspectives and facets of mathematics education that are present across different educational levels and different curricula. We have recognized the decisive importance of teacher education with cluster TSG 27-29, giving separate attention to mathematical knowledge for teaching, in-service, and pre-service teacher education. Finally, TSG 30-38 are the groups in which meta-issues concerning mathematics education itself, as a field of practice and a discipline of research, are the focus of attention. The TSGs will have two one-hour and two ninety minute timeslots in the congress timetable at their disposal. TSG participants are expected to stay with their group throughout the four sessions. Each TSG organizing team will have the responsibility of updating their TSG webpage at the congress web site. On this page it will be possible to follow the planning process and eventually access all relevant documents including the timetable for TSG sessions. Participants who would like to present papers in a TSG are requested to consult the Call for papers (or contributions) that each TSG organizing team has (or will) post at the TSG web page (visit http://tsg.icme11.org) or contact the team chairs at the email address listed below. The TSG organizing teams are responsible for establishing a scheme for paper presentation by distribution. See How to contribute.
Typically proposals should be put forward before January 20, but specific guidelines, if such apply, will be made available on the web site. The organizing team of each TSG will promote, request, review, select, and organize contributions, some by invitation and some submitted by interested participants, that account for advances, new trends, and important work done in the last few years on the topic the TSG addresses. The contributions selected will be made available in one or more of the following modalities: as a download from the web page of the TSG in the ICME-11 web site, as a printed handout previous to a TSG session during the congress, and by oral presentation during any of the four TSG sessions. There will be some discussion during the sessions, but emphasis is on presentation (in contrast to discussion groups).