A spotlight on mathematics education in the Netherlands and the central role of Realistic Mathematics Education

Abstract

In this introductory chapter I give a preview of the landscape of issues concerning mathematics education in the Netherlands and the role of Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) that one can come across in this volume, which contains the reflections of twenty-eight Dutchmathematics didacticians on teaching and learning mathematics in the Netherlands. Although all chapters have their own focus and mostly only discuss one particular aspect, together they provide a rich inside view into what is worth knowing of Dutch mathematics education and RME. The preview highlights some significant topics from these chapters, such as what tasks are preferred in RME to elicit students’ mathematical thinking, RME’s focus on the usefulness of mathematics, the role of common sense and informal knowledge, changes over time in the content of the mathematics curriculum, aspects of the Dutch educational system, including teacher education and assessment, the implementation of RME, and the context of developing RME.