Democracy and Mathematics Education

Kurt Stemhagen is Professor of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University. He earned his Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education with a concentration in Philosophy of Education from the University of Virginia. At VCU, he teaches doctoral courses on philosophy of educational research and philosophy of education as well as undergraduate and master's courses on democracy, diversity, and ethics. Dr. Stemhagen is co-founder and an active member of Richmond Teachers for Social Justice, a group dedicated to creating a just, democratic, sustainable, and caring society through education, solidarity, and social action. Catherine Henney is a veteran math educator, having worked with students and teachers as both a grade level teacher and a K-8 mathematics specialist. She also teaches mathematics education courses to pre-service and in-service teachers in Virginia. She is co-author of the book It’s Elementary: A Parent’s Guide to K-5 Mathematics, published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and is currently a doctoral student at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Part I The Problem 1. Introduction: Rethinking Math for our Troubled Times 2. Mathematics Education in Historical and Contemporary Contexts Part II The Nature of Mathematics: Two Competing Perspectives 3. Absolutist Mathematics: The Infallibilist/Apriorist Thesis 4. Non-Absolutist Mathematics: The Constructivist Thesis Part III The Alternative: Democratic Mathematics Education 5. Evolutionary/Pragmatic Perspectives 6. Democratic Mathematics Education Part IV Enactment: Philosophy of Mathematics in and out of the Classroom 7. Philosophies of Mathematics: Consequences and Classroom Expressions 8. Mathematics Education Today: Making Sense of Critical and Democratic Approaches 9. Democracy, Mathematics, and Education Revisited