Abstract
This study investigates the use of the history of mathematics in secondary school mathematics coursebooks designed according to the new curriculum prepared in 2018 and to make alternative suggestions in which mathematics history can be used. For this purpose, four mathematics coursebooks, which were decided to be taught in schools affiliated to the Turkish Ministry of National Education for four years as of 2018, were analyzed by document analysis method, and this research attempted to determine to what extent the history of mathematics was used in these coursebooks. While making this analysis and analyzing the data, the categories proposed by Erdoğan et al. (2015) were used, including “historical notes,” “notes on usage areas of mathematics,” “applications with historical notes,” and “historical elements in students’ extracurricular activities.” As a result of the study, it was found out that the 27 elements of the history of mathematics used in the coursebooks were mostly included at the fifth grade, in the lead-in stage, in the area of learning numbers and operations, in the form of small historical snippets about the historical development of situations other than mathematics. In light of these findings, it can be suggested that the history of mathematics is not used sufficiently in secondary school mathematics coursebooks.
Highlights
The origin of mathematics that mankind uses to understand nature and to make its life sustainable within a certain framework and how it developed throughout history is undoubtedly important when considered in terms of the history of mathematics
In this study, which examined the elements of the history of mathematics (EHM) included in the secondary school mathematics coursebooks organized according to the 2018 curriculum, a descriptive method of the qualitative research designs was used, and data suitable for the research questions were collected through document review
The reason is that the curriculum, which emphasizes the relationship of mathematics with daily life, should include the elements of the history of mathematics related to daily life
Summary
The origin of mathematics that mankind uses to understand nature and to make its life sustainable within a certain framework and how it developed throughout history is undoubtedly important when considered in terms of the history of mathematics. Guillen (2010) defines mathematics as a field that has a single language for all humanity with regards to its structure and is of great importance in terms of being at the center of all technological developments and scientific achievements reached by humanity. Mathematics, which enables logical thinking in daily life and is accepted as a logical system (Baki, 2006; Baykul, 2003; Bruner, 1962; Charles, 2003; Hersh, 1997; Ministry of National Education [MoNE], 2018; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 2000; Özmen 2004), has an important place in human life. Prejudices about mathematics in terms of mathematical concepts being related to each other, requiring problem-solving skills, representation of thought, not directly itself, but special
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