A Genealogy of Mathematics Didactics

Abstract

The article at hand aims at a better understanding of the genealogy of research in mathematics didactics in France. It takes a look at the disruptions that actually created this field of research, and compares it with the starting point of other didactics. Then follows a display of the particularities of the main theories of mathematics didactics in France: The theory of didactical situations, the theory of conceptual fields, and the anthropological theory of didactics. Finally, a recent developmental phase, characterized by taking into account ‘ordinary’ classes and changes in the teachers’ position, is described. In conclusion, the intention is to show how mathematics didactics have evolved from a rather narrow branch-specific concept to a driving force of important interactions with other didactics and fields of educational science.