Before reading this article, I believed that teaching history of mathematics in a classroom could be highly beneficial to the students. I have experienced first hand higher engagement and enthusiasm to learn the material. When I was doing my B.Sc. in Applied Mathematics, my teachers and the head of the math department worked alongside to organize Math Movie Fridays for students and they were some of best days I've had at my university. We would watch a movie based on a mathematician's life and discuss their work and make connections of their work with other work that advanced the field.
This is not to say that as an educator I did not have questions on how I can incorporate history of math into my own teaching. I realized that a high school classroom is far different for a college lecture room and teachers do not usually have as much resources. The objections posed in the article on why history of mathematics should be incorporated seemed very valid until I read further along and realized that teaching history can be accomplished as easily as making posters, watching a youtube video or simply having a discussion in class. Section 7.4 of the article especially struck me because some of the examples shown in this article are in my teaching practice but I never stopped and realized that I was teaching history. I believe these practices are central to gaining a deeper (relational) understanding of mathematics.
This article has solidified my belief that teaching history of mathematics is very essential. It helps students understand the "why" of math, which satisfies their curiosity and encourages them to keep going.
Thank you for your thoughtful reflection, Manveen. I love how you made the connection to math movies. (Your post also reminded me that I still haven’t seen The Man Who Knew Infinity, which is on my list of movies to watch!) Great to hear that you already teach history (without realizing it!) in your teaching practice. The way to incorporate math history at the high school level is indeed quite different from the college level. Hopefully, this course will provide more resources for you to enrich students’ math experiences through history in the high school setting!
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