Integrating history of mathematics in the classroom: an analytic survey

 Before reading this paper my thoughts were that mathematics history can easily be added in education in the classroom but it should be mostly a short thing like a story of a mathematician or a fun fact. I had a worry that it might divert the student's attention from the main path even though it will make the math education more interesting, like elaborating the start of negative numbers, observing how people used to solve problems in old times or understanding the discovery of pythagoras theorem. I did not think that  math history could entirely change the methods of teaching math.

One thing that surprised me was the differentiation between ‘developed mathematics’ and ‘mathematics in progress’.It is explained in the article that mathematics is the science of trials and errors developed through centuries rather than the logical finished thing explained in books. I felt connected here with my own experience as a teacher and I learned that mistakes are a part of normal learning process. Genetic approach was interesting like solving the problem with the old method so the new approach feels necessary. The article does not limit history to biographies or dates; it describes primary sources, historical problems, worksheets, mathematical instruments, games, plays, films, museum visits, outdoor activities, and examples from different cultures such as Chinese, Babylonian, and Japanese mathematics, especially Japanese San-Gaku example. But I also felt that every history example might not be useful so the teacher should select the right example from the history to include in the classroom.

My opinion has changed after reading the article that mathematics history can be a potential teaching method rather than just an optional activity in class. I now have a view that understanding of math history is an understanding of mathematics as a human and culturally diverse entity. In my own teaching, I would try to use history purposefully rather than simply adding historical facts. I might begin a lesson with a historically important problem, let students work in groups, discuss the strategies they develop, and then connect those strategies to the modern concept or notation.I would also make students compare old and new methods. But I would not make students trace the entire historical path because history should help in a positive way. My modified opinion is that math history should be included when it helps answer “Why do we need this idea?”, reveals how mathematical thinking develops, includes perspectives from different cultures, or encourages students to endure the doubts and errors.