The heydays of the modern mathematics movement in the 1960s

The 1959 Royaumont seminar gave a boost to the modern mathematics movement, first in Western Europe, and later in the rest of the world. However, implementations varied strongly, depending on national cultures and local educational systems. Anglo-Saxon interpretations, for example, differed quite essentially from continental European ones. In some countries the reform of mathematics education was restricted to a limited number of experimental classes driven by highly motivated individuals; in others, the curriculum was strictly determined by a central authority, which left little room for teachers’ own initiatives. We discuss exemplarily some overarching features of the modern mathematics reform movement both in terms of new contents, new teaching materials, and new teaching practices.