Members of the international community of mathematics education are encouraged to participate in the ICME-11 program with a positive contribution in one or more of the following components of the scientific program: Topic Study Groups, Discussion Groups, Workshops, Sharing Experiences Groups, Poster Presentations, and the Ibero-American Forum.

Each type of activity has its own rationale which can be taken into consideration by potential contributors when selecting activities. A perusal of the various components will allow you to choose those activities most suited to your interests.

Topic Study Groups (TSGs)

The purpose of a TSG is to gather participants interested in a certain topic in mathematics education. The organizing team (OT) of each TSG will review, select and organize contributions, some by invitation and some submitted by interested participants, that account for advances, new trends, and important work done in the last few years on the topic the TSG addresses. Papers may be selected for presentation in one of the four sessions the TSG will have at the Congress. Usually, however, the OT receives more contributions that are considered worthwhile than can be presented orally at the Congress, so another group of papers are chosen to be distributed by hand as printed copies before the sessions and/or for downloading from the TSG’s web page.

Each TSG OT will issue a Call for papers stating the terms for submitting contributions, including the deadline each team has set for receiving them –in any case, not later than January 20, 2008. Please check the list of TSGs at http://tsg.icme11.org and consult the page of the one that addresses the topic of your interest for this information.

Discussion Groups (DGs)

DG’s are meant to gather congress participants who wish to actively discuss, in a genuinely interactive way, certain challenging or controversial issues and dilemmas –of a substantial, non-rhetorical nature– pertaining to the theme of the DG. During the time we have from now up to the congress, the organizing team (OT) of the discussion group will post in their page at the ICME-11 web site, contributions that define, limit, and/or present basic premises, theoretical considerations, research findings, viewpoints, and facts that should be accounted for if a fruitful discussion is to be attained. The contributions are posted so that participants in the discussion may have the opportunity of reading this material beforehand; it will not be presented during the discussion group’s three sessions. The OT may however present brief introductions to jump-start and orient the discussion. Also, it may choose some papers to be distributed in printed copy by hand before the DG’s sessions.

Each DG OT will issue a Call for papers/contributions stating the terms for submitting contributions, including the deadline each team has set for receiving them –in any case, not later than January 20, 2008. Please check the list of DGs at http://dg.icme11.org and consult the page of the one that addresses the issues of your interest for this information.

Workshops

Workshops are hands-on activities for a limited number of participants (30-40) and targeted at a specific type of attendees, be it teachers (from pre-school to university), graduate students, and/or researchers, who are interested in learning or trying out something through active participation. Normally, a workshop will be allotted one or two one-hour time slots.

Workshops should acquaint participants with, and provide experience in, a variety of areas such as those suggested by the following examples:

• • an alternative/innovative approach to teaching or to classroom practice
• • a non-traditional mathematical topic for the curriculum, or a non-traditional approach to a traditional topic
• • a methodology or a technique in mathematics education research
• • an innovative use of information and communication technologies in the service of mathematics education
• • an approach or a method to analyze videotapes (of individual students at work, classroom sessions, etc.)
• • ways to read, write or assess academic papers in mathematics education

Proposals for non-commercial workshops*, in English or Spanish, may be presented on line by individuals or groups at the ICME-11 website. Please check the How to submit proposals page for instructions.

The proposals will be received no later than January 20, 2008, for review by appointed colleagues and the decision will be posted on the same page. Approved workshop proposals will have a web page in our web site at their disposal to present their workshop and will be listed in the final program. Please note that participation in a WS is limited and allocated on a “first come first served” basis.

Commercial workshop proposals are submited through a different channel and are not part of the scientific program. For inquiries, please contact the IPC chair at m.santillan@upn.mx

Sharing Experiences Groups (SEGs)

SEGs are small groups (10 to 20 participants) designed to exchange and discuss experiences pertaining to research and/or teaching concerning a well-defined theme of common interest. SEGs are formed via proposals to the IPC. It is an excellent opportunity for groups of teachers or researchers involved in projects or facing comparable conditions or theoretical frameworks to exchange and contrast viewpoints and experience with other colleagues with similar concerns. In addition, even though the IPC strived to include as many topics as possible, there may have been some left out. This allows such topics to be addressed by interested individuals. Normally, an SEG will be allotted one or two one-hour time slots.

The following are examples of possible themes to be discussed by an SEG.

• • how to initiate and conduct a research project
• • what should be the balance between course work and dissertation work in a PhD study
• • problems typically encountered in planning and carrying through empirical research
• • obstacles, or avenues, to innovation experienced by individual teachers who want to adopt innovative approaches to teaching or assessment
• • experiences of team teaching
• • problems encountered in graduate supervision
• • projects involving “street mathematics”

Proposals for establishing a Sharing Experiences Group (SEG) in English or Spanish, may be presented on line by individuals or groups at the ICME-11 website. Please check the How to submit proposals page for instructions.

The proposals will be received no later than January 20, 2008, for review by appointed colleagues and the decision will be posted on the same page. Approved SEG proposals will have a web page in our web site at their diposal to present their proposal and background material, and will be listed in the final program. Please note that participation in a SEG is limited and allocated on a “first come first served” basis.

Poster Exhibition and Round Tables

Congress participants are invited to submit proposals for the display and presentation of posters in English or Spanish. We anticipate space for several hundred posters and encourage this form of congress participation as a means of presenting a wide array of mathematics education initiatives concerning research or practice. Time slots will be made available for the presentation of posters.

Posters will be grouped, as far as possible, according to language (English or Spanish) and the themes of the 38 Topic Study Groups and the 28 Discussion Groups. Round tables will be organized with the participation of no more than ten poster presenters in the same group who accept to discuss their work in such a setting. The IPC will appoint experienced mathematics educators to chair such Round Table sessions.

Proposals for a poster presentation and display in English or Spanish, may be presented on line at the ICME-11 website. Please check the How to submit proposals page for instructions.

The proposals will be received no later than January 20, 2008, for review by appointed colleagues and the decision will be posted on the same page. Approved poster proposals will appear in our web site and will be listed in the final program.

Poster proposals will be asked to include a title, an abstract of 100 to 500 words, and keywords (including the TSG or DG that would form a group for the poster, see the list at http://tsg.icme11.org or http://dg.icme11.org).

Ibero-American Forum: Perspective on development through collaboration

Concurrent with other ICME-11 activities, we will organize meetings that will address the issue of Latin American development and collaboration. In spite of their differences, Ibero-American countries share cultural roots, ethnic diversity, and a sense of identity. We wish to provide a forum where participants will explore the possibilities for development through collaboration, not only among themselves but also with other regions. The sessions will be conducted in Spanish or Portuguese.
The organizing team for the forum will be posting a Call for contributions in their page found at our web site: http://icme11.org.