Response to article : Why teach math history?

When I was in grade seven, I distinctly remember my math teacher telling the story of Rene Decartes and his invention of the coordinates system. The story absolutely pulled me into another realm of math -- one that is full of interesting stories and myths. Looking back now, it felt like a starstruck moment, and it motivated me to get on a quest that is equally as significant someday. As a future educator, I believe that learning math history opens up one’s eyes, and I have always been searching for ways to feed my students’ curiosity by teaching them about the topics. 

During my days working as a math tutor at a local learning center, my biggest challenge was to teach kindergarten and lower grade students about numbers. I could definitely relate to their reluctance and fear, so I sought to keep my students’ attention by teaching basic number operations in “ancient” ways, such as using animal stickers and lollipops to help them understand addition, subtraction, etc. I also talked about the origins of math, which they always found mysterious and fascinating. By leading these activities, I boost my students’ interest in learning. I noticed that they no longer dreaded doing homework because I’d made it more enjoyable. 

After reading the article, I was impressed by the number of ways that teachers can incorporate math history into their teaching, as contrary to my belief that learning math history takes only one form (story-telling).  Ranging from worksheets to historical packages, all the creative ways can spark students’ curiosity and encourage them to even continue the learning process by themselves. As mentioned in the article, students from Denmark had their own opportunities to lead learning activities, and use their research results as a platform to educate others. 

Additionally, I agree with the point made in the article that math is not a standalone subject to be studied on its own. It is a multi-disciplinary area inclusive sociology, humanities, politics, and many others. Learning math from an evolutionary and broader scope often inspires one with new perspectives. 

After reading the article, I changed my ideas about my own identity as a future math teacher. Having mostly studied math in my undergrad, I look forward to learning about math history from the course, and also learning from students of other teaching cohorts--literature, art, humanities, etc. Their knowledge in these subject areas continue to inspire me everyday.