Person: Castelnuovo (2), Emma
Emma Castelnuovo was an Italian mathematician known for her contributions to mathematics education.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- This award was named after Emma Castelnuovo.
- Emma graduated in mathematics at the University of Rome in 1936.
- Just after the Second World War, Emma with a university professor and a young colleague organized a successful series of talks held by mathematicians, physicists, philosophers, and educators.
- Already at the beginning of her career Emma was looking for a way of teaching aimed at actively involving students.
- In Emma's interpretation of Clairaut's project the winning ideas are: intuition, real problems, and history.
- Some decades later Emma succeeded to have the elements of probability in the new Italian programmes for middle school launched in the 1970s.
- Emma's new way of teaching geometry is based on the use of concrete materials, on looking at objects, discovering geometric properties, and in manipulating changing figures.
- Since 1949 Emma was in contact with teachers of the École Decroly, where Paul Libois (1906-1991) used concrete materials.
- On many occasions Emma refers to Enriques's view on the importance of the history of mathematics in building knowledge and claims to apply that view in her teaching.
- This was the case of Emma who was asked by Gattegno to join CIEAEM (Commission Internationale pour l'Étude et l'Amélioration de l'Enseignement des Mathématiques - International Commission for the Study and Improvement of Mathematics Teaching).
- Emma was president of CIEAEM from 1979 to 1981.
- Emma was one of the two representatives of Italy and took an active part in the discussion about modern mathematics.
- When Freudenthal succeeded in achieving the two goals of founding a new journal and having a conference dedicated to mathematics education, Emma was an active participant in both events.
- Emma was a very special teacher for many reasons.
- Emma's contributions to mathematics education was not only directed to students, but also to her colleagues, especially young colleagues.
Born 12 December 1913, Rome, Italy. Died 13 April 2014, Rome, Italy.
View full biography at MacTutor
Tags relevant for this person:
Origin Italy, Women
Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0! 
- Github:
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- non-Github:
- @Fulvia-Furinghetti
References
Adapted from other CC BY-SA 4.0 Sources:
- O’Connor, John J; Robertson, Edmund F: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
