Abstract
Despite many studies on the history of algebra, very few exist on the history of the teaching of algebra. This chapter presents the major features of the teaching of this subject in five major periods, including the oral tradition in the teaching of algebra (from Antiquity to the Renaissance), the emergence of the algebra textbooks (seventeenth to eighteenth centuries), the slow rise of algebra in secondary education (nineteenth century), and the apogee and decline of the teaching of algebra (twentieth century). The chapter concludes with some reflections on present-day and future prospects of the teaching of algebra.
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In Portugal in the twentieth century, the algebra classes of a university mathematics course continued to be split into “theoretical classes” (with explanations and examples) and “practical classes” (with exercises). Similar practices are followed in many secondary schools, especially in the more advanced years.
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da Ponte, J.P., Guimarães, H.M. (2014). Notes for a History of the Teaching of Algebra. In: Karp, A., Schubring, G. (eds) Handbook on the History of Mathematics Education. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9155-2_22
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