Importance of History of Mathematics in Math LearningPrabha
BetneLaGuardia Community CollegeMathematics DepartmentApril 8,
2005
BackgroundThis presentation is about an inquiry based learning
project that was conducted in an Elementary Statistics class. The
study involved a search of the biographical literature about a
mathematician, and an inquiry into the various contributions made
by him/her. Five groups of students researched their subjects using
library resources, online databases, and search engines. Each group
developed a PowerPoint presentation, incorporating images found on
the web.
The AssignmentIn this project you will research about a
mathematician/statistician assigned to your group. Consider the
following points to include in your research.
About the person (one small paragraph)Some interesting
situations or events in the life of this person
The Assignment (continue)3.Select a work of this person that
relates to one of the topics included in your course. Discuss why
this work was needed (what problem led to the development of the
work), how this work led to the solution of that problem. For
example: the famous thinker Archimedes discovered the relationship
between density, mass and volume known as Archimedes principle when
ordered by the King to find out if there was impurity in the Kings
gold crown.You may also add your thoughts about other applications
of this work.
Goal
The goal of this project was to motivate the students and give
them reasons to learn more about the people and historical contexts
that have led to the development of mathematics.
ObjectiveStudents will be able to research the lives and
contributions of mathematicians, discern what information is
relevant, and create a multi-media presentation summarizing what
they have learned. This will motivate students to learn the
subject, and learn how to work in a team. They will also find ways
to apply what they are learning about their subjects to the course
curriculum, as well as to other fields of study or employment.
Activity OverviewFive groups of four students each were
established. Each group bore the name of an important mathematician
or statistician: Andrei Kolmogrov, Carl Friedrich Gauss, Florence
Nightingale, John Tukey, and R. A. Fisher. The students were
charged with finding out any important and interesting events in
the persons life, researching the contributions of this person to
the field of mathematics or statistics, and describing at least one
piece of the subjects professional work related to topics in the
course curricula. The students presented their work utilizing
PowerPoint presentations.
Example of Students
Workhttp://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/ctl/dfl/sampler/docs/pbetne/maria-nightinangale.ppt
