AN EVOLUTIONARY APPROACH TO MATHEMATICS EDUCATION: ENHANCING LEARNING THROUGH CONTEXTUAL MODIFICATION.

Contemporary mathematics education is at a crossroads. It has become exposed to forces, both static and dynamic, that pose a challenge to its traditional place in academia. Mathematics has a long-established status as perhaps the most critical foundation for analytical knowledge. But the manner in which mathematics instructors choose to respond to this challenge may well determine the degree of relevance and importance that traditional mathematical theory eventually commands in newly emerging scientific and technological disciplines. In this paper, we will: (a) identify the forces that are acting on contemporary mathematics instruction; (b) examine some of the historical, social, and psychological underpinnings that have given rise to these forces; (c) enumerate the conditions which mathematics instruction must address if it is to remain a viable discipline; and (d) evaluate the relative success of a case study, addressing the role of mathematics instruction for technical career students, that has been designed to address these conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]