Inspiring Young Mathematicians with the History of Mathematics

1. History of Mathematics - for young mathematicians

2. Initial impetus • The prevailing modern view of mathematical ability one which entails creativity and transcends the more limited concept of technical ability • little widely available material to introduce the secondary school age children to the world of ‘creative’ mathematics • main aim to inspire young mathematicians • help them gain an insight into the various techniques of research, analysis and synthesis of mathematical thought • majority of the current resources university and post-graduate level students • some resources can be used by teachers but very few by children

3. General thoughts - secondary school… • increase pupils’ motivation in learning mathematics through ‘story-telling’ • improve pupils’ understanding of the subject through contextual learning; • enable pupils to gain skills in structuring their knowledge and linking different mathematical concepts through their increased knowledge of the development of mathematical concepts

4. General thoughts on the KS3 & the History of Maths • importance of ‘story-telling’ in creating a safe and familiar environment • dispel fear of both mathematics and the secondary school

5. Findings of research with secondary pupils showed that… • pupils seemed to remember the mathematical skill and its application better when they learnt about the context in which the skills were first used • the acquisition of mathematical skills became more meaningful when they knew the historical background • the pupils started making links between mathematical concepts, the historical developments and personalities they learnt about • they were able to identify with the role models and gained greater motivation for the learning of the subject.

6. Some feedback from primary pupils…

7. Some identified goals • an international dimension to mathematics through teaching and learning about its history • an understanding of and comparison with different cultural approaches • an interdisciplinary approach, in particular in relation to visual and literary arts • to demonstrate mathematics as one of the most creative human activities • the study of ‘old masters’ (offering a safe environment for self-discovery and self-identification in the context of the history of mathematics) • nurturing intellectual fascination with mathematical concepts • an understanding of progress in mathematical sciences • the promotion of mathematics as one of the most fascinating of human pursuits, • and part of the cultural heritage of all societies.

8. Example: The Egyptian Medley - Perimeter, Area, Volume and Pythagoras’ Theorem in 3d • familiarity with a range of concepts • taking possession of them • striving to understand when learning increased when striving to explain the concepts to others • organising the activity for the next generation • most useful and successful when there is a practical task attached to the problem • logistical questions provide more opportunities for taking ownership and pride in understanding a mathematical concept

12. What pupils gain? • Pupils’ fears of mathematics dispelled and they want to learn more • Pupils become more engaged and motivated as they take charge of their learning through research and activities • They should take greater responsibility to find things out and encourage each other to be more independent • Tasks given in groups will enable them to become better team players What pupils like with the history of maths is not necessarily what you would: • Pupils favourite pages – excesses • Many thousands of decimal places of irrational numbers • Gory details from the history of mathematics