Extending the conceptual change approach to mathematics learning and teaching

The five papers that comprise this special issue entitled ‘‘The conceptual change approach to mathematics learning and teaching,’’ attempt to demonstrate that the conceptual change approach can be a fruitful component of a theory of mathematical learning and instruction. Some of them focus on issues of learning i.e., on presenting evidence that the conceptual change approach provides a powerful explanatory framework for explaining students’ difficulties with certain mathematical concepts, while others deal mainly with issues of instruction. In this very brief introduction we will try to define the conceptual change approach as we see it and outline some of the advantages gained by applying it to mathematics.