Handbook on the History of Mathematics Education

There are numerous books and college courses devoted to the history of mathematics. The history of mathematics education, however, is a relatively undeveloped field. If you are interested in mathematics education, this book provides a wealth of information. From the teaching of mathematics in antiquity to modern pedagogical practices across international borders, the book presents a compendium of the history of mathematics teaching. The handbook itself contains quite a bit of information, but since it is thoroughly referenced the reader is also led to many additional resources.

As the reader progresses through the handbook, common themes and questions emerge across centuries and locations. For example, what types of mathematics textbooks have been used over time? What levels of mathematics were studied? And. most frustratingly, what can we really determine about how students learned mathematics, given the basic evidence that survived? Although it is interesting to ponder the methods of teaching mathematics in ancient Egypt, Greece, or Mesopotamia, that chapter of the book has to struggle with issues of interpretation due to the scarcity of artifacts explicitly related to teaching.

For the history enthusiast, certain chapters will likely appeal more than others. I really enjoyed the sections on early American and English history because those are the areas that I studied as a history major. At times there was a lack of attention to the historical context, likely due to length constraints.

As a reference book, this text will be valuable. It is lengthy, and focuses on breadth more than depth. Because of the length of the book and variety of topics, I would have appreciated if each chapter included a summary or conclusion (some did). It doesn’t have examples or exercises, and doesn’t seem to be intended as a textbook.

Mindy Capaldi (mindy.capaldi@valpo.edu) was a mathematics and history major in college, studied topology in graduate school, and now does research in mathematics education. She is an assistant professor at Valparaiso University.