The Mathematical Association is a professional society concerned with mathematics education in the UK. The Mathematical Association has a long history of promoting the very best in learning and teaching Mathematics, they actively engage in consultation and discussions on issues currently affecting Mathematics education. The Mathematical Association respond professionally and constructively to ministerial announcements and to proposals from the Department for Education, and from bodies concerned with curricula, assessment and training. The association comments on inquiry reports, academic research findings and reports published by organisations and learned bodies supporting Mathematics in Britain. Occasionally, The Mathematical Association adopts position papers prompted by discussions amongst ordinary members, and at their committees. The Association hopes to have something distinctive to say on Mathematics curriculum and pedagogy, formative and summative assessment, inspection, the dissemination of quality assurance information, and the training, expertise, professional development, recruitment and retention of Mathematics teachers.
It was founded in 1871 as the Association for the Improvement of Geometrical Teaching and renamed to the Mathematical Association in 1894. It was the first teachers' subject organisation formed in England. In March 1927, it held a three-day meeting in Grantham to commemorate the bicentenary of the death of Sir Isaac Newton, attended by Sir J. J. Thomson (discoverer of the electron), Sir Frank Watson Dyson – the Astronomer Royal, Sir Horace Lamb, and G. H. Hardy.
In the 1960s, when comprehensive education was being introduced, the Association was in favour of the 11-plus system. For maths teachers training at university, a teaching award that was examined was the Diploma of the Mathematical Association, later known as the Diploma in Mathematical Education of the Mathematical Association.
It exists to "bring about improvements in the teaching of mathematics and its applications, and to provide a means of communication among students and teachers of mathematics". Since 1894 it has published The Mathematical Gazette. It jointly hosts the British Congress of Mathematics Education conference which is held every 4 years in April, situated at different universities each year. This combined conference is supported by the following associations and societies:
Junior Mathematical ChallengeAssociation of Teachers of MathematicsThe Mathematical AssociationNational STEM CentreMEI - Innovators in Mathematics EducationThe Operational Research SocietyRoyal Statistical SocietyEdinburgh Mathematical SocietyThe Higher Education AcademyBritish Society for Research into Learning MathematicsHeads of Department of Mathematical SciencesRoyal Academy of EngineeringNational Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of MathematicsThe London Mathematical SocietyBritish Society for the History of MathematicsThe Association of Mathematics Education TeachersNational Association of Mathematics AdvisersInstitute of Mathematics & its ApplicationsIt is based in the south-east of Leicester on London Road (A6), just south of the Charles Frears campus of De Montfort University.
Aside from the Council, it has seven other specialist committees.
Its branches are sometimes shared with the ATM:
BirminghamCambridgeEast MidlandsGlasgowGloucesterLiverpoolLondonMarchesMeridian (southern England)SheffieldSussexYorkshirePast presidents of The Association for the Improvement of Geometrical Teaching included:
1871 T A Hirst PhD, FRS1878 R B Hayward MA, FRS1889 Professor G M Minchin MA, FRS1891 Professor J J Sylvester MA, DSc, LID, DC1892 The Reverend C Taylor DD1893 R Wormell MA, DSc1895 Professor Sir Joseph Larmor MA, DSc, FRSPast presidents of The Mathematical Association have included:
1897 Alfred Lodge1899 Professor Sir Robert S Ball LID, FRS1900 Sir Robert Ball, FRS1901 John Fletcher Moulton1903 Andrew Russell Forsyth1905 George Ballard Mathews1907 G H Bryan MA, ScD, FRS1909–1910 H H Turner1911–1912 E W Hobson1913–1914 A G Greenhill1915–1916 A N Whitehead1918–1919 T P Nunn1920 E T Whittaker1921 J M Wilson1922–1923 T L Heath1924–1925 G H Hardy1926–1927 M J M Hill1928–1929 W F Sheppard1930–1931 A S Eddington1932–1933 G N Watson1934 E H Neville1935 A W Siddons1936 A R Forsyth1937 L N G Filon1938 W Hope-Jones1939 W C Fletcher1944 C O Tuckey MA1945 Professor S Chapman DSC, FRs1946 Warin Foster Bushell1947 George Barker Jeffery1948 Sir Harold Spencer Jones MA, ScD, FRS1949 A Robson MA1950 Professor H R Hasse MA, DSc1951 Mary Cartwright1952 K S Snell MA1953 Professor T A A Broadbent MA1954 W V D Hodge1955 G L Parsons MA1956 George Frederick James Temple1957 W J Langford JP, MSc1958 Max Newman1959 Miss L D Adams BSc1960 E.A. Maxwell1961 J T Combridge MA, MSc1962 Professor V C A Ferraro PhD, DIC1963 J B Morgan MA1964 Miss I W Busbridge MA, DPhil, DSc1965 Mrs E M Williams CBE, MA1966 F W Kellaway BSc1967 A.P. Rollett1968 C.A. Coulson1969 Lady Jeffreys MA, PhD1970 James Lighthill1971 B T Bellis MA, FRSE, FIMA1972 C T Daltry BSc, FIMA1973 Professor W H Mccrea MA, PhD, DSc, FRS1974 Mrs M Hayman MA, MPhil, FIMA1975 Reuben Goodstein1976 E Kerr BSc, PhD, FIMA, FBCS1977 Professor G Matthews MA, PhD, FIMA1978 Alan Tammadge MA, FIMA1979 Clive W. Kilmister1980 D A Quadling MA, FIMA, later OBE1981 Michael Atiyah FRS later Sir Michael1982 F J Budden BSc1983 Rolph Ludwig Edward SchwarzenbergerMA, PhD1984 P B Coaker BSc, ARCS, DIC, FIMA, FBCS1985 Miss H B Shuard MA, MSc, FIMA1986 Mrs A Straker BSc, MSc, later OBE1987 Dr M E Rayner MA, DPhil, MSc, later MBE1988 A.G. Howson1989 Mr Peter Reynolds MA1990 Professor Margaret L Brown MA, PhD1991 Dr Alan J Bishop1992 Mr John Hersee MA1993 Dr William Wynne-Wilson BA, PhD1994 Miss Mary Bradburn1995 E. Roy Ashley1996 W. P. Richardson1997 Tony Gardiner1998 Professor J Chris Robson1999 John S Berry2000 Mr Stephen Abbott BSc, MSc2001 Dr Sue Sanders Cert.Ed, BA, MEd, PhD2002 Mr Barry Lewis BSc, BA, FIMA2003 Professor Sir Christopher Zeeman FRS2004 Professor Adam McBride2005 Mrs Sue Singer BA2006 Mr Doug French2007 Mr Rob Eastaway2008 Mr Robert Barbour2009 Mrs Jane Imrie2010 David Acheson2011 Dr Paul Andrews2012 Professor Marcus Du Sautoy2013 Peter Ransom2014 Lynne McClure2015 Peter M. Neumann2016 Dr Jennie Golding (Current President)2017 Mr Tom Roper (President Designate)