The Canadian Mathematics Education Group (CMESG) met in Kingston, Ontario, from May 29th to June 2nd, 2026. I adore the CMESG1 It is such a warm and vibrant community. I’ve gone only two other times: Antigonish, Nova Scotia (2019) and Lethbridge, Alberta (2025). The first time I went was before the Pandemic and only feels like a hazy memory. It was nice to see the community two years in a row and feel a lot of friendships carry over.
This year’s CMESG gathering was special because it celebrated the 50th anniversay of the group. Two of the founding members were present! There was a strong reflective component and many of the working groups engaged deeply with the history of the conference. The working group organizers perused the proceedings, selected readings, and many groups reflected on the historial trends in mathematics education.
The working group that I participated in, led by Nadine Bednarz and Laurent Theis, explored didactiques des mathématiques. We reflected on how this field was similar to, and also different from, the Anglosphere’s “research in mathematics education.” I really like the French approach to mathematics education. Last year, I did a deep-dive in to this by attending L’Espace Mathématique Francophone when it was held in Montreal. Attending the session on didactiques was a similar immersion experience. I enjoyed participating in a mostly French-speaking group. I can follow spoken French without any issue and I’m making progress on expressing myself.
During CMESG, I spent a fair bit of time pondering commutators. That notes is long enough and specific enough that I’ve split it off in to its own note.
There are some notes copied over from my sketchbook Vol. 15: 77-94.
A discipline that allows for the study of teaching and learning phenomena in mathematics. (Lajoie, 2006)
If you want to get involved in theory, you need to practice it. You need to talk to people, connect, and practice.
I bet that I am going to be tempted to write such a statement at the header of every post that I ever write about CMESG. ↩︎
Published: May 26, 2026 @ 21:33.
Last Modified: Oct 10, 2026 @ 19:37.
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