Mathematics Teaching in a Special Issue of The New Era Magazine, 1934

Abstract In 1934, the The New Era magazine, one of the official magazines of the New Education Fellowship (NEF), published a special issue on Mathematics teaching. The NEF was an international organization, founded in 1921 within the international movement of New Education, which aggregated members from different countries, including some renowned educators. The following article explores the themes about Mathematics Education addressed in the aforesaid issue, as well as the content of the discussions concerning theoretic-methodological approach, this way identifying recurring elements and eventual divergences. The analysis focus on the editorial aspects, the authors' networks, and the authority speech. Among the conclusions, it is possible to notice the concern in including authors internationally recognized and widely known approaches, such as the Decroly and Montessori methods. The different branches of Mathematics and school levels make evident that the editor wanted to provide an overview of Mathematics Education tendencies. The appeal to real experiences in Mathematics teaching, the prominence of the student, the connection between subject matter and mental age, and the central role of the psychology applied to education are among the recurring aspects. However, the way some of these aspects are interpreted points out the divergences. Finally, the article highlights the potentiality of exploring connections with Brazil, such as the case of Professor Alda Lodi.