Response to why we teach math history

Before reading the article, I believed math history should be incorporated into the classroom since it can inspire and spark curiosity within students. Often, math can feel very fixed and laid out due to how it is taught during the early primary years. Its heavy emphasis on rules, theorems and computations makes the subject feel less humanistic and flexible. As a result, students fail to realize that math is a discovery that evolves throughout human history. Personally, I am an avid lover of films. Thus, the integration of films, videos or documentaries is one way I would incorporate math history into the classroom. Other methods may include projects, art representations, small-scale student-led presentations, and classroom discussions. 

While reading the article, I stopped at the statement “Lack of assessment” (203). This quote made me question why students will only value or pay attention to the material if it is being assessed. I wonder if other methods will promote student engagement with math history without having the added stressors of being graded. As a result, I become eager to read section 7.4 on “Ideas and examples for classroom implementation.” Upon reading this section, I was astonished at the various ways history could be presented. Particularly, I became inspired to introduce games, historical problems, and ancient methods of doing mathematics into a high school classroom. The introduction of unsolved and unsolvable problems may shock students who previously believed that math was an unalterable subject. They may also find relief in learning the existence of many methods to solve a problem. Lastly, I find that adolescents are eager to prove teachers wrong, and thus may be enticed by these problems.   

 After reading the article, I recognize that my initial methods for teaching math history were not seamlessly incorporated into my lessons. I previously believed that math history may only be presented as a separate unit, activity, or assignment. By exploring the different approaches to integration, I feel more confident in teaching math history in engaging ways and less constrained by the types of activities I can use.