<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">I am organizing the Mathematics Education session at the Canadian Mathematics Society meeting in Toronto this December: <div> <a href="http://cms.math.ca/Events/winter11/">http://cms.math.ca/Events/winter11/</a> </div><div>I am inviting submissions for the Mathematics Session on<i> Big Ideas in Mathematics,</i> as well as encouraging participation in the Special Session. The deadline for early bird registration is September 30, and I will be able to subsidize registration for those who have accepted contributions (abstracts due October 31). </div><div><br></div><div>The Mathematics Education session on <i>Big Ideas </i>starts with a CMS Public Lecture on Friday December 9 by Chris Wild from New Zealand. Chris is a statistics researcher who has been playing a key role in developing the new Mathematics and Statistics curriculum in New Zealand. In this curriculum, Statistics inference plays a significant role as one of three main branches K-12, and Chris has been developing visually based simulations and other supports for use over a variety of ages. Hopefully, people in the Toronto Area will be able to bring colleagues and students to this free Public Talk. </div><div><br></div><div>The main Mathematics Education Session runs Saturday December 10, and December 11 if interest supports this. The overall theme is </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span><i>Big Ideas for organizing the K-12 Mathematics curriculum (and beyond). </i></div><div>In Ontario, each revised curriculum (in all subject areas) is to be organized around big ideas. Some similar themes are coming out in other curricula discussions. Here are some samples: </div><div><br></div><div>(A) One Big Idea, related to the talk of Chris Wild, and supported by some further discussion from Chris in our session, will be around U<i>ncertainty and Statistical Inference</i>. </div><div><br></div><div>(B) A second Big Idea with at least one contribution will be on <i>Transformations and Invariance </i>(Geometry, Proportional Reasoning, some areas of algebra, ... ). </div><div><br></div><div>(C) A possible third theme could be the M<i>athematical Processes / Developing Reasoning </i>as a Big Idea that is more important in curriculum than a number of specific pieces of content. A related distinction is emerging in Ontario University development of Undergraduate Degree Level Expectations, where processes are highlighted, and specific content lists are de-emphasized. </div><div><br></div><div>I would welcome submissions on any of these themes or other topics you would propose as a Big Idea for Curriculum Design. If I receive an informal query during September, I will try to give feedback prior to the Early Bird Registration deadline of September 30. </div><div><br></div><div>Walter Whiteley</div><div>York University </div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div></body></html>