The volume collects work which originates from presentations and discussions at
the 63rd and the 64th conference of CIEAEM in the summers of 2011 in Barcelona
and 2012 in Rhodes. These two conferences were organised around the themes of
facilitating access and participation and of mathematics education and democracy .
In both years the focus was on educational practices of mathematics inside and
outside the classroom. The conferences witnessed many presentations breaking new
grounds and opening up new vistas for mathematics education practice. The presentations
initiated collective discussions and, in turn, these discussions deepened our
insight and understanding of the many ways in which children, youth and adults
may fi nd their paths to mathematics. We want to thank all participants of the 63rd
and the 64th conference of CIEAEM for their perhaps invisible but nevertheless
important contribution of ideas, from which the volume benefi ts.
As CIEAEM meetings are truly international conferences, non-native speakers of
English author many chapters of this volume. Particular thanks go to Maja Schermeyer
(Germany), who was very effective in improving the English of many chapters and
to Catherine Whybrow (UK), who provided extensive native-English- speaker
support. Birgit Abel (Germany) was highly effi cient in formatting the papers.
Finally, all papers have been reviewed at least twice. We thank all those who, by
reviewing chapter drafts, have signifi cantly contributed to this volume: Gilles Aldon
(France), Luciana Bazzini (Italy), Nina Bohlmann (Germany), Petros Chaviaris
(Greece), Julie Cwikla (USA), Javier Díez-Palomar (Spain), Uwe Gellert (Germany),
Joaquim Giménez Rodríguez (Spain), Sonia Kafoussi (Greece), Nielce Meneguelo
Lobo da Costa (Brasil), Luís Menezes (Portugal), Zoi Nikiforidou (UK), Hélia
Oliveira (Portugal), Maria Elisabette Brisola Brito Prado (Brasil), Cristina Sabena
(Italy) and Hauke Straehler-Pohl (Germany).