Integrating history into mathematics teaching: An empirical study on years 7 & 8 students details a research project in which Jason Yip and I planned and taught a half-term’s worth of maths lessons to two classes at a Secondary School in Milton Keynes. These lessons followed the school’s usual Scheme of Work, but Jason and I included History of Maths content in every lesson. The paper is published by the British Journal for the History of Mathematics, the journal of the British Society for the History of Mathematics.
Abstract
This study investigates the pedagogical potential of incorporating historical content into Key Stage 3 mathematics education in England. Drawing on a structured framework emphasizing classical sources, historical development, biographies and anecdotes, and curriculum relevance, the intervention aimed to humanize mathematics and foster positive student attitudes. The research was conducted in a multicultural secondary school in England and involved both quantitative and qualitative methods, with pre- and post-intervention surveys and classroom observations forming the data corpus. The findings suggest that while anxiety-related and confidence-related responses showed limited change, students in the experimental group improved significantly in overall attitude scores, enjoyment of mathematics, engagement with historical content, and some measures of multicultural awareness. These results point to the value of history-infused mathematics education in improving affective outcomes and fostering deeper connections to the subject.