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Ken Clements
Professor
Mathematics Department
Illinois State University
Title: MERGA 2012: Where we've been, where we are, and where we're going
Abstract
Why have an organization like MERGA? This question will be addressed from past,
present and future perspectives (1976, 2012, and 2025). One focus of the paper will
be the need to improve mathematics curricula, and to improve the teaching and learning
of mathematics, at all levels. I shall argue that we have not done enough to make
sure that MERGA has delivered, is still delivering, and will continue to deliver
the goods on such basic curriculum/teaching/learning issues. Part of the difficulty
is that we researchers have not reached agreement on what we mean by "improvement".
That is as much a political issue as anything else, of course, but the MERGA community
needs to do more to make sure that the responsibility for defining what improvement
means, and how it is assessed, is not in the wrong hands. A second focus of the
paper will be some reflections on what the "A" in MERGA might mean. This Conference
is being held in Singapore, and the challenge is for a wider vision of MERGA's role
in Asia to be formulated and implemented.
Biodata
Ken Clements is currently professor within the Mathematics Department at Illinois
State University. After teaching in schools for 10 years, Ken worked at Monash University
(1974-1984), Deakin University (1987-1993), the University of Newcastle (1993-1997),
Universiti Brunei Darussalam (1997-2005). With John Foyster he founded MERGA in
1976, and he is a honorary life member of both MERGA and the Mathematical Association
of Victoria. Ken and his wife, Nerida Ellerton, have often worked as consultants
in Southeast Asian contexts. Recently (2012), Springer published Nerida’s and Ken’s
book, Rewriting the History of School Mathematics in North America 1607-1861. Ken
is overall editor of the Third International Handbook of Mathematics Education,
which will be published by Springer in 2012: section editors for that Handbook were
Alan Bishop, Christine Keitel, Jeremy Kilpatrick and Frederick Leung.
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