Geometry in the Middle School

Extract

In all the ferment of ideas for syllabus reform that have come to the notice of the main body of mathematics teachers in this country over the last ten years or so, there is the least agreement on those concerned with the teaching of geometry. Largely through the efforts of the Mathematical Association in its earlier years, the cry “Euclid must go” is an empty phrase in Britain today; for forty years or more we have managed with a pseudo-Euclidean compromise, but now many teachers, dissatisfied with this, are experimenting with fresh approaches. The purpose of this article is to state some of the objectives of geometry teaching, and to examine some of the possible treatments in the light of these objectives. It is confined to a consideration of the CSE/GCE O Level course, both for those whose formal mathematical education ends there and for those who will go on to further study.