Teaching Math History

I believe math history should be incorporated into my own math teaching. I think it is important to teach math history as it can provide the opportunity for students to feel more connected to the math they are learning. Students can gain a greater understanding of how different fields of mathematics were developed, as well as learning about influential mathematicians. I always enjoyed when my teachers would incorporate information about mathematicians into lessons, whether that was stories about their lives, how they got involved in math or how they came to discover and add to different fields of mathematics. I believe it can help engage students in the material, especially when discussing mathematicians as they often had very unique and interesting lives. I think a way I could include math history in my teaching is at the beginning of some topics, starting with information or story about a mathematician who was an integral part of advancing that field of mathematics. As well, if the curriculum allows for it, having the student pick a field of early mathematics that they are interested in and completing some form of project on it.

In the arguments against the incorporation of math history, I disagreed with the idea that because there is no clear way of assessing the history learned in a math class, there is no point in teaching it as students will not pay attention. I believe including math history even with no testable component, is still a great way to provide context and allow students to connect while gaining a greater interest in the material. However, I connected with the argument in favour of teaching math history, which suggests including historical content can in turn motivate students to take charge of their learning, by asking questions about the new material and conducting research on a topic or fact they found interesting. I felt this connected to the type learning that students are now being encouraged to participate in, to follow their interests through self directed learning. Prior to reading this piece, I hadn't considered a lack of availability to accessible and understandable math history resources, as a reason why some teachers may choose not to incorporate it into their courses. As well, I was introduced to new ways math history could be included in the classroom.