Development research of arithmetic and mathematics curriculum incorporating revolutionary and cumulative knowledge growth

The continuous development of education is important in order to ensure it keeps growing and improving. Professor Toshikazu Ikeda, College of Education, Yokohama National University, Japan, is a Professor of Mathematics who is a proponent of revolutionary knowledge growth through overturning, expanding, and integrating acquired knowledge and skills. This is about progression through bridging the gap between a knowledge goal and the existing knowledge base through developing techniques and pathways to that goal. Ikeda believes that by inserting revolutionary knowledge growth into the mathematics curriculum in Japan, children can be encouraged towards more independent and problem solving based thinking. He has performed an analysis of current teaching materials which involved examining local teaching materials in a specific area, using lessons to analyse and evaluate those materials and looking at long-term global teaching materials that give a deeper examination of specific topics, focusing on how and where it can be used and how students react to the content. In his work, Ikeda uses modelling as a problem solving tool and to develop techniques to deepen learning and lead to revolutionary knowledge growth. Ikeda is collaborating with Professor Max Stephens, Melbourne University, to produce lectures centred on revolutionary growth knowledge for students at teacher training colleges. A key part of Ikeda's work is teaching mathematical modelling in order to help students understand the importance of mathematics and develop their abilities.