Emeritus Professor Kaye Stacey has been awarded the 2024 Emma Castelnuovo Award in recognition of her more than 40 years of research-based design, development and implementation of innovative, influential work in the practice of mathematics education.
The Emma Castelnuovo award is a prestigious international award in the mathematics education research community. Professor Stacey received the award at the 15th International Congress on Mathematical Education held in July in Sydney, where 3,000 mathematics educators explored current global trends in mathematics education research and mathematics teaching practices at all levels.
The Academy congratulates Professor Stacey for the recognition she has received.
Professor Stacey was a director of the Academy’s reSolve: Mathematics by Inquiry project for its initial three years, with her work with the Academy being a significant contributing factor to her being awarded the prize. Professor Stacey has a long-standing relationship with the Academy and was instrumental in the Academy obtaining the reSolve: Mathematics by Inquiry project. She authored a paper as to why the Academy should work in mathematics education and what the focus of this work should be.
Over her 40-year career, Professor Stacey has significantly impacted mathematics education through her innovative work on problem-solving, integrating new technologies, and researching student thinking. Her efforts have influenced assessments globally, benefiting many teachers and students.
Professor Stacey began her career in pure mathematics and earned a scholarship to the University of Oxford, where she completed her doctorate in number theory. Her deep passion for mathematics and its practical applications has driven her work, focusing on equipping students to tackle important problems. She enjoys mathematics for both its beauty and usefulness, and this appreciation underpins her work.
She believes the core goal of mathematics is solving significant problems, and the goal of mathematical education is to prepare students for this challenge. Like Emma Castelnuovo, she has dedicated her efforts to making this vision a reality for more teachers and students. This vision is encapsulated in her International Society for Design and Development in Education Prize Lecture titled ‘How to create a mathematics curriculum truly worth learning’.
Professor Stacey was the Foundation Chair of Mathematics Education at the University of Melbourne for 20 years until her retirement in 2012, and has led numerous research-based projects at various levels.
According to the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI), the Emma Castelnuovo Award recognises outstanding achievements in the practice of mathematics education. The award reflects the ICMI principles of developing mathematical education at all levels, and promoting the reflection, collaboration, exchange and dissemination of ideas on the teaching and learning of mathematics, from primary to university level. The award is named after the Italian mathematics educator, born in 1913, to celebrate her 100th birthday and honour her pioneering work.
© 2024 Australian Academy of Science
