PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING MATHEMATICS AS A SEMANTIC COMPONENT OF THE MODERN EDUCATIONAL SPACE

In the article the author researches the issues related to: the training of future mathematics teachers; the forming of their attitude to the mathematical knowledge as a socio-cultural heritage of the society; the understanding of their role in the public life, the education of the younger generation, and the understanding of the impact on the intellectualization of the society, its informational development etc. The initial position is formed by the thesis that in the system of training future teachers (who will teach math in school) teaching mathematics is on the exceptional position, because it reveals three categories of issues. The first relates to the question what mathematics is (as a field of knowledge). The second relates to the nature of mathematical activity, its possibilities, socio-cultural significance and role in the mental development of the individual in different age periods. The third covers the actual teaching mathematics: why to teach, on which basis, whom to teach and what, how to teach, what to expect as a result. It is highlighted that the conceptual immensity of the questions related to the mathematical activity and teaching mathematics goes far beyond the boundaries of mathematics and its teaching methods and embraces the ideological, historical, cultural, social, psychological, intellectual spheres of the society. The multiplicity of socially significant perspectives, which must be considered when studying the problems of teaching mathematics, determines the feasibility of the ascent to philosophical positions. This will open the way to a multi-dimensional, comprehensive justification of the basic theses and approaches to the solving of the diverse issues and will form the teacher’s worldview in the context of information development of the society. As a result they can use methods of cognition of humanities in the solving of the strategic and tactical problems in the teaching of mathematics. Additionally the article reveals the fact that the ascent to philosophical positions, when considering the conceptual issues of mathematical activity and teaching mathematics, actually means building the philosophy of teaching mathematics as one of the key components of the educational semantic space.