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How Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching May Profit from the Study of History of Mathematics

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Abstract

In this theoretical article, we aim at theorizing the old statement that mathematics teachers might profit from studying the history of mathematics. We do this by drawing upon the theoretical framework of mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT). A selection of international studies on the history and pedagogy of mathematics is used as starting points for discussing how the different domains of teachers’ MKT—to a larger or smaller degree—can profit from the history of mathematics.

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Notes

  1. The three presentations are: Alpaslan et al. (2011), Hatisaru and Cetinkaya (2011), and Jankvist (2011), the first addressing teacher training.

  2. HPM is the ICMI affiliated study group on the relations between the History and Pedagogy of Mathematics. This group was founded at the same time as the ICMI affiliated study group of PME.

  3. For general discussions of the use of original sources in the classroom, see Jahnke et al. (2000) and Jankvist (in press).

  4. See also the article by Kjeldsen and Petersen in this special issue of Science & Education.

  5. The extract shows the definition of Dirichlet as presented to the high school students as part of the activity.

  6. See also Jankvist (in press) for a discussion of this.

  7. For a more elaborated discussion of this mathematical project and the course based on it, see the article by Barnett, Lodder and Pengelley in this special issue of Science & Education.

  8. Based on personal correspondence with Deborah Kent after the Las Cruces meeting.

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Correspondence to Reidar Mosvold.

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Mosvold, R., Jakobsen, A. & Jankvist, U.T. How Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching May Profit from the Study of History of Mathematics. Sci & Educ 23, 47–60 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-013-9612-7

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