This anthology presents a comprehensive review of mathematics and its teaching in the following nations in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, México, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. The last summary of mathematics education encompassing countries from the Southern Americas appeared in 1966. Progress in the field during five decades has remained unexamined until now.

Tasks in Primary Mathematics Teacher Education is intended to advance relevant research and innovative international practices in the preparation and professional development of mathematics teachers. Emerging from discussion at the ICMI study on teacher professional development, this volume, focused on primary and elementary teachers, culls a richness that can only be found by gathering wisdom from varied experiences around the world. The choice of tasks, and the associated pedagogies, is a key aspect of teaching and learning mathematics. Arguing that what students learn is largely defined by the tasks they are given, several major themes are presented. One such major strand, the form, function and focus of tasks, is discussed throughout several chapters, offering analysis, discussion of implementation, and exemplars of a broader category of illustrative techniques for developing critical understanding.

The Fourth International Conference on the History of Mathematics Education was hosted by Academy of Sciences and University of Turin (Italy). About 50 senior and junior researchers from 16 countries met for four days to talk about one topic: the history of mathematics education. In total 44 contributions were presented. The themes were Ideas, people and movements, Transmission of ideas, Teacher education, Geometry and textbooks, Textbooks – changes and origins, Curriculum and reform, Teaching in special institutions, and Teaching of geometry. In this volume you find 28 of the papers, all of them peer-reviewed. Since the first international conference on the history of mathematics education, the aim has been to develop this area of research, to attract more researchers and provide new insights that stimulate further “digging”. It is therefore very pleasing that so many new young researchers joined the conference, presenting results from ongoing or recently finished PhD projects. This makes us confident about a prosperous future of this research area as we look forward to the Fifth International Conference on the History of Mathematics Education, to be held in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in September 2017. Previous international conferences on the history of mathematics education: 2009 in Garðabær (Iceland) 2011 in Lisbon (Portugal) 2013 in Uppsala (Sweden)

Henry O. Pollak Chairman of the International Program Committee Bell Laboratories Murray Hill, New Jersey, USA The Fourth International Congress on Mathematics Education was held in Berkeley, California, USA, August 10-16, 1980. Previous Congresses were held in Lyons in 1969, Exeter in 1972, and Karlsruhe in 1976. Attendance at Berkeley was about 1800 full and 500 associate members from about 90 countries; at least half of these come from outside of North America. About 450 persons participated in the program either as speakers or as presiders; approximately 40 percent of these came from the U.S. or Canada. There were four plenary addresses; they were delivered by Hans Freudenthal on major problems of mathematics education, Hermina Sinclair on the relationship between the learning of language and of mathematics, Seymour Papert on the computer as carrier of mathematical culture, and Hua Loo-Keng on popularising and applying mathematical methods. Gearge Polya was the honorary president of the Congress; illness prevented his planned attendence but he sent a brief presentation entitled, "Mathematics Improves the Mind". There was a full program of speakers, panelists, debates, miniconferences, and meetings of working and study groups. In addition, 18 major projects from around the world were invited to make presentations, and various groups representing special areas of concern had the opportunity to meet and to plan their future activities.