Helder Pinto
History of Mathematics as a tool in mathematical education
The interest in the History of Mathematics as a tool in mathematical education is increasing. There is an international group called HPM (International Study Group on the Relations between History and Pedagogy of Mathematics), which is affiliated to the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) that dedicates its efforts to this subject. Its main goal is «combining the history of mathematics with the teaching and learning of mathematics, HPM is the link between the past and the future of mathematics. Therefore, the group aims at stressing the conception of mathematics as a living science, a science with a long history, a vivid present and an as yet unforeseen future. Among members of the group are researchers in mathematics education, mathematicians, historians of mathematics, teachers of mathematics and curriculum developers».
This group has important and extensive meetings and publishes many papers and books in this field. It publishes also a regular Newsletter that we will shortly present (one of its editors is a member of our Group of History of Mathematics).
In Portugal, the History of Mathematics appears as a crosscutting theme throughout the secondary school teaching and that should come along on several and different themes. In this communication we will present some proposals related to the History of Mathematics in the school context. We will see how to adapt some topics of mathematics to the school context using, for example:
This group has important and extensive meetings and publishes many papers and books in this field. It publishes also a regular Newsletter that we will shortly present (one of its editors is a member of our Group of History of Mathematics).
In Portugal, the History of Mathematics appears as a crosscutting theme throughout the secondary school teaching and that should come along on several and different themes. In this communication we will present some proposals related to the History of Mathematics in the school context. We will see how to adapt some topics of mathematics to the school context using, for example:
- the Euclid’s Elements (examples of how to use the computer and some interactive content in classroom will be presented in the approach of this book);
- the Shadow Instrument of the Portuguese mathematician Pedro Nunes (it can be easily constructed with paper and cardboard in the classroom and then used to measure the altitude of the Sun).