دمج تاريخ الرياضيات في تعليم وتعلم الرياضيات

Abstract

The integration of the history of mathematics in the mathematics classrooms attracts today the attention of mathematics education researchers as an alternative teaching and learning approach that could motivate students to care for mathematics and thus learn it more enthusiastically.

In this article we describe the importance of integrating the history of mathematics in the mathematics classroom, so that it becomes part of the teaching method and is not just done by mentioning the names of the mathematicians who developed the mathematics subject which we want to talk about or is only an introductory to a lesson. This actual integration is what makes this approach an alternative teaching approach and which may change the gloomy situation of mathematics learning nowadays.

We suggested different methods to take care of the history of mathematics in the school and how to overcome the problems which me hinder the integration of this history in the mathematics classroom. We gave examples on historical subjects which could be integrated in the mathematics classroom at the primary school and examples of mathematical lessons that integrate the history of mathematics and could be given in the primary school classes.

It’s so important that our suggestions won’t stay theoretical suggestions, but be applied in the schools. This means convincing some mathematics teachers, in different school levels, to integrate the history of mathematics in their classes. Writing mathematical lessons that integrate the history of mathematics would encourage mathematics teachers to use these lessons in their classes. The preparation of mathematical lessons that integrate the history of mathematics should be don educational institutes like seminars and universities. Thus it’s very important that the educational institutes write lessons and study units that integrate the history of mathematics and publish it in books and in the internet.