Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Preface
- Contents
- 1 Teaching with Primary Historical Sources: Should it Go Mainstream? Can it?
- 2 Dialogismin Mathematical Writing: Historical, Philosophical and Pedagogical Issues
- 3 The Process of Mathematical Agreement: Examples from Mathematics History and an Experimental Sequence of Activities
- 4 Researching the History of Algebraic Ideas from an Educational Point of View
- 5 Equations and Imaginary Numbers: A Contribution from Renaissance Algebra
- 6 The Multiplicity of Viewpoints in Elementary Function Theory: Historical and Didactical Perspectives
- 7 From History to Research in Mathematics Education: Socio-Epistemological Elements for Trigonometric Functions
- 8 Harmonies in Nature: A Dialogue Between Mathematics and Physics
- 9 Exposure to Mathematics in the Making: Interweaving Math News Snapshots in the Teaching of High-School Mathematics
- 10 History, Figures and Narratives in Mathematics Teaching
- 11 Pedagogy, History, and Mathematics: Measure as a Theme
- 12 Students' Beliefs About the Evolution and Development of Mathematics
- 13 Changes in Student Understanding of Function Resulting from Studying Its History
- 14 Integrating the History of Mathematics into Activities Introducing Undergraduates to Concepts of Calculus
- 15 History in a Competence Based Mathematics Education: A Means for the Learning of Differential Equations
- 16 History of Statistics and Students' Difficulties in Comprehending Variance
- 17 Designing Student Projects for Teaching and Learning Discrete Mathematics and Computer Science via Primary Historical Sources
- 18 History of Mathematics for Primary School Teacher Education Or: Can You Do Something Even if You Can't Do Much?
- 19 Reflections and Revision: Evolving Conceptions of a Using History Course
- 20 Mapping Our Heritage to the Curriculum: Historical and Pedagogical Strategies for the Professional Development of Teachers
- 21 Teachers' Conceptions of History of Mathematics
- 22 The Evolution of a Community of Mathematical Researchers in North America: 1636–1950
- 23 The Transmission and Acquisition of Mathematics in Latin America, from Independence to the First Half of the Twentieth Century
- 24 In Search of Vanishing Subjects: The Astronomical Origins of Trigonometry
- About the Editors
1 - Teaching with Primary Historical Sources: Should it Go Mainstream? Can it?
- Frontmatter
- Preface
- Contents
- 1 Teaching with Primary Historical Sources: Should it Go Mainstream? Can it?
- 2 Dialogismin Mathematical Writing: Historical, Philosophical and Pedagogical Issues
- 3 The Process of Mathematical Agreement: Examples from Mathematics History and an Experimental Sequence of Activities
- 4 Researching the History of Algebraic Ideas from an Educational Point of View
- 5 Equations and Imaginary Numbers: A Contribution from Renaissance Algebra
- 6 The Multiplicity of Viewpoints in Elementary Function Theory: Historical and Didactical Perspectives
- 7 From History to Research in Mathematics Education: Socio-Epistemological Elements for Trigonometric Functions
- 8 Harmonies in Nature: A Dialogue Between Mathematics and Physics
- 9 Exposure to Mathematics in the Making: Interweaving Math News Snapshots in the Teaching of High-School Mathematics
- 10 History, Figures and Narratives in Mathematics Teaching
- 11 Pedagogy, History, and Mathematics: Measure as a Theme
- 12 Students' Beliefs About the Evolution and Development of Mathematics
- 13 Changes in Student Understanding of Function Resulting from Studying Its History
- 14 Integrating the History of Mathematics into Activities Introducing Undergraduates to Concepts of Calculus
- 15 History in a Competence Based Mathematics Education: A Means for the Learning of Differential Equations
- 16 History of Statistics and Students' Difficulties in Comprehending Variance
- 17 Designing Student Projects for Teaching and Learning Discrete Mathematics and Computer Science via Primary Historical Sources
- 18 History of Mathematics for Primary School Teacher Education Or: Can You Do Something Even if You Can't Do Much?
- 19 Reflections and Revision: Evolving Conceptions of a Using History Course
- 20 Mapping Our Heritage to the Curriculum: Historical and Pedagogical Strategies for the Professional Development of Teachers
- 21 Teachers' Conceptions of History of Mathematics
- 22 The Evolution of a Community of Mathematical Researchers in North America: 1636–1950
- 23 The Transmission and Acquisition of Mathematics in Latin America, from Independence to the First Half of the Twentieth Century
- 24 In Search of Vanishing Subjects: The Astronomical Origins of Trigonometry
- About the Editors
Summary
Introduction
I am truly honored to be asked to speak on integrating the history of mathematics in mathematics education. Advocating the teaching of mathematics using history is presumably not very controversial at this conference, more like “preaching to the choir”, as one says in English. But I wish to be somewhat provocative, perhaps even controversial, by suggesting a dream I have had for some time, that all students should learn the principal content of their mathematics directly from studying primary sources, i.e., from the words of the original discoverers or creators of new mathematics, as is done in the humanities, where students read the great original literature, not just about the great literature. In other words, I propose that we rebuild the entire mathematics curriculum at all levels around translated primary sources studied directly by our students. If you think this is extreme, then at least I am fulfilling the role of being a provocative speaker.
My belief that we should and can aim for a mathematics curriculum that is rich throughout in primary sources has developed only very slowly from my own experiences in the past twenty years. First I would like to describe this personal evolution, because it reflects very clearly some of the important challenges involved in implementing my dream.
A Personal Odyssey as an Illustration of Issues
First I co-developed two one-semester courses for beginning and advanced undergraduate university students, based entirely on primary historical sources.
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- Publisher: Mathematical Association of AmericaPrint publication year: 2011
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