The Japan Society of Mathematical Education (JSME)

Yoshishige Sugiyama
President of the Japan Society of Mathematical Education

History

The Japan Society of Mathematical Education (JSME) is a nonprofit professional association. Started as an organization for secondary mathematics teachers, the JSME was established in 1919. Since then, the JSME has played an important role to develop research in mathematics education and to improve, nation-wide, mathematics education in Japan. The JSME is the largest mathematics education organization in Japan. It is composed of about 4,000 members distributed over all areas of Japan, and includes teachers from kindergarten to university, administrators and researchers. The JSME is officially acknowledged by the Science Council of Japan.

Goals

The JSME has several goals for improving Japanese mathematics education and it has been active with respect to the following points.

Leading Curriculum Reform

The JSME has played a critical role in developing the national school mathematics curriculum, which is revised about every ten years and is officially authorized by the Japanese Minister of Education as the Course of Study (National Curriculum Standards).

Promoting Professional Development

The main activity of the JSME is the annual meeting of mathematics teachers which is held in every summer, the biggest meeting of the Society. It includes several workshops and lectures focusing on up-to-date teaching and learning issues. The annual meeting involves local organizations and teachers, two thirds of whom are non-members. The JSME also organizes a research-oriented annual conference which is held in every autumn.

Encouraging Research and Classroom Practice

The JSME publishes three kinds of Journals: Arithmetic Education (6 issues a year) focusing on elementary school mathematics, Mathematics Education (6 issues a year) focusing on secondary mathematics education, and the Reports of Mathematics Education (2 issues a year), a research-oriented journal. Newsletters are attached with the first two journals to provide teachers with useful information from domestic and/or international view points. The JSME also publishes its Yearbooks. The first volume of JSME Yearbook was published in 1995.

Cooperating with Other Organizations

Domestically, the JSME is recognized as the leading mathematics education organization, and has a great influence on local educational organizations all over the country. Internationally, the JSME has cooperated with organizations such as NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) in the United States, GDM (Gesellschaft fuer Didaktik der Mathematik) in Germany and AAMT (Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers) which mutally recognize each other as Corresponding Societies.

Organization

The JSME is governed by a 23-member Board of Directors. It has seven sections; Administration, Research, Public and International Relations, Research Data Collection, Journals, Publication, and "Ronkyu" (Research Communications). The JSME also has several committees. These groups take the lead to develop, implement, and coordinate the JSME's services and programs.

ICME-9 in Japan in the year 2000

The JSME is looking forward to meeting you in Japan in the year 2000 at the ICME-9. It will be held in Tokyo / Makuhari at the beginning of August. In addition to research and scientific activities we are planning social and cultural activities which will give you a better understanding of Japan.

Yoshishige Sugiyama
Department of Mathematics and Informatics, Tokyo Gakugei University
Koganei, Tokyo, 184 JAPAN, sugiyama@u-gakugei.ac.jp

JSME Office
PO BOX 18, Koishikawa, Tokyo, 112 JAPAN,
Tel : 81-3-3946-2267, Fax: 81-3-3946-3736