EDITORIAL: Reclaiming creativity as the heart of mathematics education

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This special issue explores mathematical creativity across diverse contexts including curriculum materials, instructional practices, teacher preparation, professional development, and classroom interactions. Grounded in the perspective that mathematical creativity is a dynamic ability to generate new ideas, processes, or products that are novel to learners, the issue brings together theoretical and empirical studies that examine how creativity can be fostered through curriculum design, open-ended tasks, problem posing, puzzle-based learning, collaborative proving, and inquiry-based instruction. The eight contributions highlight creativity as both an individual and collective endeavor, demonstrating that it can be nurtured from elementary classrooms to higher education and in teacher professional development. At the same time, the papers critically address challenges in assessment, systemic barriers, and teacher preparation and development.
Collectively, this issue makes the case that creativity is not peripheral but central to mathematics education that positioning exploration, curiosity, and innovation as essential for advancing student learning and reshaping instructional practice.