Course Reflection

This is my first time learning the history of mathematics.  This course provides such an in-depth and enriched learning experience in discussing how the notions and methods of mathematics evolved throughout history and across continents.   From our class readings, group projects, and presentations, I was able to discover many fabulous mathematicians’ great works and their interesting life experiences.  The assignment which focused on connecting curriculum math concepts with mathematical history provides an amazing and enriched resources for me as a future math teacher.  Our classmates have put a collective effort in gathering the mathematics history through this assignment gives us the best resource which we can always use as reference in our future teaching.  In addition, many ancient methods of doing mathematics are really fascinating.  It will be a good way to show appreciation to ancient mathematicians by showing the ancient methodologies in solving modern math problems.   

            One suggestion that I have is that we may start a timeline for the history of mathematics at the beginning of the term.  As someone who didn’t know the background of the math history, it was difficult to grasp the whole picture as what had happened in the history.  I think it could be helpful if we can talk about the whole history with a detailed timeline and in a geographic sense before the reading, so that it is easier to understanding the articles.   However, as complicated as the history of mathematics, it might be difficult to really provide that whole picture.