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Submissions to Convergence are required to further the journal’s mission of using the history of mathematics to teach mathematics in undergraduate institutions and schools (specifically, for mathematical subjects in the K–16 curriculum, with a particular emphasis on topics studied in grades 8–14).

Although Convergence authors often share materials that they have employed in their own classrooms, the editors recognize that pre-submission field testing is not always possible. Thus, some submitters may need help articulating potential classroom applications for the historical concepts addressed in their articles.

Although the realm of possible classroom connections is infinite, the list below offers several of the most common ways in which Convergence articles bring together the history of mathematics and the teaching of mathematics, along with examples of how these connections were realized in existing publications.

Again, a submission to Convergence must include a well-defined discussion of when, where, and how the historical content of the article can be used in a practical way in the mathematics classroom.

Possible approaches to classroom applications

Guided Reading of Primary Sources

Self-Contained Classroom Lessons

Exercises From Historical Treatises or Textbooks

Explorations Inspired by or Related to Historical Material

Alternative Ways of Thinking About a Mathematical Concept when the "Traditional" 21st-Century Textbook Approach isn't Clicking with Students

Course Outlines and Experiences

Discussion Prompts and Out-of-Class Essays

Descriptions of Potential Student Research Projects

Construction of Replica Historical Objects

Tools for Identifying and Utilizing Primary Sources in the Classroom

Processes for incorporating history into the professional practice of one’s teaching techniques, methodology, or philosophy

Informative background articles that enhance an instructor’s understanding of a specific course; may include general suggestions that can be infused into one’s teaching but that may not have been designed for direct use with students

For additional examples of classroom connections, see Convergence’s Classroom Resources Index.

"Connecting History to the Mathematics Classroom," Convergence (September 2023)