イギリスにおける数学教育改造運動--数学教育におけるジョン・ペリーの位置に着目して

概要

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In the latter half of the nineteenth century, school mathematics, which included arithmetic,algebra, and geometry, was regarded as a mental discipline. Mathematics teachers andmathematicians considered deductive geometry, based on Euclid, the most effective forreasoning. However, most students found deductive geometry too logical and abstract. Ina British association meeting at Glasgow, 1901, John Perry (1850 － 1920), an engineer andmathematics and physics teacher, criticized such school mathematics. In his address, ‘TheTeaching of Mathematics’, he proposed a new scheme of elementary practical mathematics.This included modern mathematics such as functions and calculus. He said that usefulnessshould determine what subjects are taught to children. In the discussion that followedhis address, the mathematics teachers and mathematicians present looked not for thereform but for the modification of school mathematics. This gap stemmed from the trendin teaching mathematics and Perry’s career as an engineer. However, Perry’s criticismswere to be echoed by foreign reformers of school mathematics. Finally, school mathematicsbecame the basis for modern mathematics.