Computer games seem to have a potential for engaging students in meaningful learning, inside as well as outside of school. With the growing availability of mobile handheld technology (HHT), a number of location-based games for handheld mobile phones with GPS have been designed for educational use. The exploitation of this potential for engaging students into meaningful learning, however, so far remains unexplored. In an explorative design research, we investigated whether a location-based game with HHT provides opportunities for engaging in mathematical activities through the design of a geometry game called MobileMath. Its usability and opportunities for learning were tested in a pilot on three different secondary schools with 60 12-14-year-old students. Data were gathered by means of participatory observation, online storage of game data, an online survey and interviews with students and teachers. The results suggest that students were highly motivated, and enjoyed playing the game. Students indicated they learned to use the GPS, to read a map and to construct quadrilaterals. The study suggests learning opportunities that MobileMath provides and that need further investigation.

This paper deals with the challenge to establish problem solving as a living domain in mathematics education in The Netherlands. While serious attempts are made to implement a problem-oriented curriculum based on principles of realistic mathematics education with room for modelling and with integrated use of technology, the PISA 2003 results suggest that this has been successful in educational practice only to a limited extent. The main difficulties encountered include institutional factors such as national examinations and textbooks, and issues concerning design and training. One of the main challenges is the design of good problem solving tasks that are original, nonroutine and new to the students. It is recommended to pay attention to problem solving in primary education and in textbook series, to exploit the benefits of technology for problem solving activities and to use the schools' freedom to organize school-based examinations for types of assessment that are more appropriate for problem solving.

This paper addresses the question of what mathematics Dutch students should learn according to the standards as established by the Dutch Ministry of Education. The focus is on primary school and the foundation phase of secondary school. This means that the paper covers the range from kindergarten to grade 8 (4-14 years olds). Apart from giving an overview of the standards, we also discuss the standards' nature and history. Furthermore, we look at textbooks and examination programs that in the Netherlands both have a key role in determining the intended mathematics curriculum. In addition to addressing the mathematical content, we also pay attention to the way mathematics is taught. The domain-specific education theory that forms the basis for the Dutch approach to teaching mathematics is called "Realistic Mathematics Education." Achievement scores of Dutch students from national and international tests complete this paper. These scores reveal what the standards bring us in terms of students' mathematical understanding. In addition to informing an international audience about the Dutch standards and curricula, we include some critical reflections on them. Kurzreferat

Mathematical and scientific knowledge are integral to preparing our population to be actively engaged and responsible citizens. Science and mathematics education, however, has mainly focused on concepts and skills detached from societal implications. In this paper we present an interdisciplinary international design research study in which we developed teaching and professional development materials connecting mathematics and science education to citizenship education. We outline the design research process, its theoretical basis as well as the design products. The study shows that it is indeed possible to develop such approaches supporting active citizenship and thereby the development of 21st century skills in mathematics education, thus strengthening the role of mathematics education in the STEM field.

Based on insights into the nature of vocational mathematical knowledge, we designed a computer tool with which students in laboratory schools at senior secondary vocational school level could develop a better proficiency in the proportional reasoning involved in dilution. We did so because we had identified computations of concentrations of chemical substances after dilution as a problematic area in the vocational education of laboratory technicians. Pre-and post-test results indeed show that 47 students aged 16-23 significantly improved their proportional reasoning in this domain with brief instruction time (50-90 min). Effect sizes were mostly large. The approach of using a visual tool that foregrounds mathematical aspects of laboratory work thus illustrates how vocational mathematical knowledge can be developed effectively and efficiently.