In my math teaching, I have not had much opportunity to bring in the history of where tools and concepts were developed. Most uses of historical context would be superficial. Although any time to discuss Newton’s fascination with alchemy or Euler’s hat was enjoyable, I never thought it was a great use of time, particularly in quickly paced classes. I love history, and I would appreciate evidence supporting an increased use of it in high school math.
I appreciated the reminder of the messiness of math history. No matter where one falls on the argument about whether math is fundamental or discovered, progress has been characterized by steps forward, slides backward, and many detours. Students’ progress shouldn’t be dissimilar.
Weird or duplicative terminology or symbology can frustrate students. Historical context about why certain words or symbols are used rather than others can help students memorize them. Shared language among what appear to be different concepts sometimes can reveal unexpected connections.
Your comparison between the messy history of math and students’ own progress really stood out to me. I hadn’t thought of it that way before—if math itself developed through wrong turns and detours, maybe students can see their own mistakes as part of the process too.
ReplyDelete