Why Teach the History of Mathematics?

    My current teaching philosophy is grounded in project-based learning and constructivism. I think incorporating math history can provide a necessary holistic view of mathematics, one that is built around student knowledge and intuition, rather than being overly prescriptive with seemingly obscure axioms and theorems, as it is commonly taught. For example, topics in geometry can be introduced to students via navigation activities using measurement tools and astronomical objects. Through the activity, students can think through problems and construct meaning from their observations and reflections. Relating the activity to its historical contexts and formalizing language can occur afterward when students encounter problems with communication while using different names to refer to the same thing. Ideally, his process would be able to show that math is a collaborative effort to come to an agreement.

    Math, as it is often taught, exists as a decontextualized set of rules and algorithms, regardless of teachers’ well intentions, so it is not difficult to agree that integrating the history of mathematics in the classroom is indispensable for its understanding (Tzanakis et al., 2002, p. 201). I believe this is one viable solution to the multi-faceted problem of math education. Placing problems and ideas in their historical contexts can provide a much-needed narrative for students to anchor their learning and develop their skills in critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. For example, I struggled with the game theory concept of pure and mixed nash equilibria until we discussed the ‘Battle of the Bismark Sea’, which involved an interactive activity grounded in historical significance and a logical narrative that explained the decisions of the US and Japanese militaries. Game theory benefits from its comparatively recent development as a mathematical discipline and its rich repository of historical real-world applications, so I am excited to see student research projects on “The early development of game theory” (Tzanakis et al., 2002, p. 215) in a high school setting. I find research projects based on math history to be an intriguing idea since it provides the flexibility of student choice, while also allowing students to explore the process and development of mathematical ideas.

    After reading Tzanakis et al. (2002), I have come to the conclusion that integrating math history in the classroom can take a multipronged approach. Instead of designing entire units rooted in math history, I can also use other approaches like worksheets and historical snippets when appropriate and relevant.


Tzanakis, C. et al. (2002). Integrating history of mathematics in the classroom: an analytic survey. In: Fauvel, J., Van Maanen, J. (eds) History in Mathematics Education. New ICMI Study Series, vol 6. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47220-1_7