Work in Progress, Concerning
the History of the so-called New Math, of the Period 1952-1975 Approximately
Here is a list of titles,
whose number should increase with time, of relevant papers, chapters, and
drafts, which just might some day converge upon a Book. They are all © Ralph A.
Raimi unless otherwise indicated, though some of the underlying research,
especially my travel to archives of the Beberman and Begle projects, was aided
by an NSF Award (# 9725244), initially given me for the year 2000-2001 but extended (without additional budget)
for two more years, until the money petered out.
Whatever became of the New Math?,
a brief, incomplete and biased account of the school math phenomenon of the
1960s. Amended April 12, 2005, with misgivings. Don’t take it too seriously.
Annotated chronology of the New
Math, Really brief, but including a guide to the identities of the major
participants as well as the events. Revised August 11, 2005
Proposed Introduction to a
History of The New Math, Overview of the historical problem. Revised July
7, 2006
Ignorance in math education,
a description of some of the teachings of mathematics educators on the eve of
the era of "The New Math". Revised June 20, 2004
Chapter I, Max, a brief
history of the beginnings of the new math at the University of Illinois in the
early 1950s. It is by no means the whole story of Max Beberman, who will appear
often in my proposed text. Revised May 6, 2004.
Letter to Frank
Quigley, 1958, verbatim transcript of a prescient letter from me to a
friend at Yale, warning of the pitfalls facing mathematicians intending via
SMSG to create a revolution in mathematics education. Annotated April 16, 2004.
The CEEB Report of 1959,
an account of a long-awaited report of a blue-ribbon Commission that had for three
years been preparing a "Program for college preparatory mathematics".
This report marked what might be called the official opening of the public
debate on the virtues and defects of The New Math. Placed here August 24, 2005.
New Developments,
1959, A
symposium of short papers by mathematicians, teachers and mathematics
educators, published by NCTM as a special volume for broad distribution. The papers indicate the degree to which
newmath ideas (of Beberman and the CEEB Commission) had penetrated the
mainstream thinking of the time. First placed here August 5, 2005, and revised
October 7, 2005.
The Wood's Hole Conference of
1959, a review of the book by the psychologist Jerome Bruner which summarized
the proceedings of the conference, but in fact sounded all the intellectual
keynotes for the "new math" movements of the 1960s. Posted June 12,
2004.
An In-Service NSF Teachers'
Institute of 1960,an account of my own efforts in educating the existing
high school teachers in the early days of The New Math.
Revised 21 December 2006.
The 1966 ICM Conference on
The Role of Axiomatics (etc.), a lengthy report on the views of a panel of
American mathematicians and mathematics educators, concerning the place of
axiomatics in school mathematics. The item concerning Peter Lax, listed just
below, appears within this account as the last paper reviewed. Revised 25
April, 2005.
Peter Lax on schoolchild
axiomatics, 1966, a brief report on the views of a mathematician,
concerning the place of axiomatics in school mathematics. Posted September 17,
2004.
Other documents will be added to this list from time
to time.