Stimuli given to pedagogical experiences and textbook production during the Modern Mathematics Period: the Brazil-Portugal context

Abstract

In the Twentieth century, school mathematics became the focus of attention in national and international congresses, pointing to the need to rethink its teaching methodology. The discussion around the theme extended and resulted, in the late 1950’s, in the development of a proposal for the internationalization of the mathematics teaching methodology, involving organizations such as UNESCO and OECE. The OECE developed recommendations for the implementation of modern mathematics (MM). These recommendations were disseminated and resignified in many different countries.Based on some of the OECE’s recommendations, we seek to identify how they were operationalized in Brazil and Portugal. The question is: What did experiences with the MM and the publication of textbooks represent in these countries? Therefore, we used the bibliography about MM, official documents found in the historical archives of Portugal, and an interview with a Modernization of Mathematics Period participant. Keywords: Modern Mathematics. Pedagogical Experience. Comparative Historical Research.