The book is based on the recently held Symposium on mathematics and its connections to the arts
and sciences, namely the second Mathematics and its Connections to the Arts and Sciences
(MACAS2)Symposium in Odense, Denmark (May 29-31, 2007). The chapters are an eclectic collection
of interdisciplinary research initiatives undertaken by mathematics educators with implications
for practitioners concerned with teaching and learning processes. The papers cover a wide
genre of research domains within mathematics education (cognition, modelling, problem solving,
teacher education, ethnomathematics, mathematical/statistical literacy, curricular and technological
initiatives and research related to science education). The major interdisciplinary themes of the
papers in this book are:
1. How can modelling activities be used to foster interdisciplinary projects in the school and university setting?
2. How can the intricate connections between mathematics and physics be used to design and research
interdisciplinary activities in schools and the university?
3. How can research within the ethnomathematics domain of mathematics education be linked to critical
mathematics education and interdisciplinary projects involving mathematics, art and culture?
4. How can the push for mathematical and statistical literacy be connected to other subjects in the school
curricula and emphasized via interdisciplinary activities?
5. What are concrete examples of classroom experiments with empirical data that demonstrate new and unusual
connections/relations between mathematics, arts and the sciences with implications for pedagogy?
6. What is the role of technology and new ICT interfaces in linking communities of
learners in interdisciplinary activities involving problem solving?
The book is an important contribution to the literature on educational initiatives in interdisciplinary
education increasing vital for emerging professions of the 21st century.