2. THE NEW MILLENNIUM OR CURRENT TREND The 20th Century Mathematics The New Math Era (a1) The educational reform of the 1950s in the U.S. was already in progress when the Soviet Union placed Sputnik in orbit. However, Sputnik still played a significant role in creating a favourable atmosphere for those who recommended greater emphasis on higher academic standards, especially in science and mathematics ….

3. THE NEW MILLENNIUM OR CURRENT TREND The 20th Century Mathematics Soon after 1957, the first curricular shift occurred. The launch of Sputnik by the Soviets shocked America and made clear that (1) we had fallen behind in mathematics and science achievement and that (2) mathematics and science curricula in our elementary and high schools were to blame. Thus, many of the nation's top mathematicians and scientists were assembled to develop new math and science programs, primarily intended for high school students whose career path included engineering and other science-related occupations. One of the results of this effort was "new math" which featured a highly abstract and conceptual focus. The New Math Era (a2)

4. THE NEW MILLENNIUM OR CURRENT TREND The 20th Century Mathematics The New Math Era (a3) After Sputnik the public demand for a federal response was unusually high and Congress passed the National Defense Education Act in1958. One of the more remarkable and remembered things that came out of this (Sputnik Crisis) was the concept of "New Math".New Math

5. THE NEW MILLENNIUM OR CURRENT TREND The 20th Century Mathematics. New math is a term referring to a brief dramatic change in the way mathematics was taught in American grade schools during the 1960s. The name is commonly given to a set of teaching practices introduced in the U.S. shortly after the Sputnik crisis in order to boost scientific education and mathematical skill in the population; so that the supposed intellectual threat of the Soviet engineers, reputedly highly skilled mathematicians, could be met.mathematicsAmericangrade schools1960sSputnik crisismathematicalSovietengineers The New Math Era (a4)

6. THE NEW MILLENNIUM OR CURRENT TREND The 20th Century Mathematics The beginning of “New Math Era” after the retreat of progressivism in the United States clearly reflected the existence of collision between skills, instruction and understanding.... The New Math groups introduced curricula that emphasized coherent logical explanations for the mathematical procedures taught in the schools. The New Math Movement gave, for the first time, mathematicians opportunities to get themselves actively involved in contributing to K-12 school mathematics curricula. The New Math Era (a5)

7. THE NEW MILLENNIUM OR CURRENT TREND The 20th Century Mathematics The “New Math Movement” created a great upheaval in the study and learning of mathematics not only in the United States but also in every nook and corner of the world was massive. Nepal itself started to revise the curriculum, did set a national standard for school mathematics programmes, followed the latest techniques of the time in the preparation of a detailed curriculum in the latest format as was prescribed by the educational experts available in Nepal. Nepal thus seemed to have adopted the New Math programme during the first half of the 1960s. The New Math Era (a6)

8. THE NEW MILLENNIUM OR CURRENT TREND The 20th Century Mathematics Mathematics presented a different situation. Mathematicians criticized the new programs because the content was too abstract and neglected significant applications; teachers criticized the programs because they were too difficult to teach; and, parents criticized the new math because they worried that their children would not develop fundamental computational skills.. The New Math Era (a7)

9. THE NEW MILLENNIUM OR CURRENT TREND The 20th Century Mathematics The 1960s “New Math” that followed the 1950s reform focusing on “back to the basics” proved to be a dismal failure and in the 1970s, there was a wave for a return to the “basics.” The effect of such a situation in the United States and the unpalatability of the New Math Programme among teachers trained in the traditional style enthused many of the Nepalese mathematics Educators or teachers for a change back to the basics. For a country like Nepal, this was not that easy. We could neither completely discard what was there nor frame and follow a completely new one. The New Math Era (a8)

10. THE NEW MILLENNIUM OR CURRENT TREND The 20th Century Mathematics America did not fully embrace the "new math." Consequently, it's impact on improving mathematics achievement was perceived as less than expected. A cry to return to the "3 Rs" rang out. In this "back to basics" curricular shift, mathematics instruction returned to a drill and practice orientation and remained so until the end of the 1970s Cry for BACK to BASICS (b1)

11. THE NEW MILLENNIUM OR CURRENT TREND The 20th Century Mathematics Problem Solving (c1) In the late 1970s, cognitive science-the study of the mind-overtook the longstanding behavioral approach. As a result, the view of math changed from "numbers and computations" to "math as problem solving," representing the third curricular shift

12. THE NEW MILLENNIUM OR CURRENT TREND The 20th Century Mathematics Group Learning (d1)