Emma Castelnuovo e la ricerca in didattica della matematica in Italia: alcune riflessioni

Arzarello, Ferdinando ; Bartolini Bussi, Maria G. ; Bazzini, Luciana

La Matematica nella società e nella cultura, Série 1, Tome 6 (2013) no. 1, pp. 81-95

Résumé

The role played by Emma Castelnuovo in the Italian community of researchers on mathematics education was unique. Emma did not pursue pure academic research, nor did she limit her activities to her classes, but rather she challenged many prejudices regarding the scientific value of the research in mathematics education, producing and experimenting with ideas that were and still are nourishing and inspiring for Italian researchers. Known and appreciated abroad perhaps earlier than in Italy, she blazed a trail, referring on the one hand to the best Italian traditions, and on the other hand anticipating some of the theoretical elaborations that have characterized Italian research in recent decades. The authors of this paper, in their earliest experiences abroad, benefitted from Emma's fame, who was so enthusiastically appreciated internationally that it was believed that her classes represented a kind of snapshot of the activities of all classes in Italy. In reality, it was just one example of how, in Italy, teachers could work to build relevant examples of educational innovation and effective ways to communicate the results of their activities at the national and international levels. In this work we intend to contribute to situate the figure of Emma in the national and international context.