Response to "Integrating History of Mathematics in The Classroom: An Analytic Survey" by Constantinos Tzanakis and Abraham Arcavi

I always think that history is an important part of mathematical education and it should be incorporated into the current curriculums. As a subject with a long history, the knowledge of math builds on itself. Learning about the history behind math can help students to better understand the development of mathematics. Demonstrating the historical and practical side of mathematics also engages students, reliefing them from repetitive arithmetic and rule-memorization. 

I totally agree with the author that "mathematics is often regarded as a discipline which is largely disconnected from social and cultural concerns and influences". (page 212) Many people see mathematics beyond basic arithmetic as useless, especially after the popularization of smart phones with built in calculators. But, in reality, the applications of mathematics penetrate every aspect of people’s daily life. (example, the book GEB)

My understanding of the history of math was limited to the people who made breakthroughs in this field, and their contemporary environment. However, after reading about "taking advantage of errors, alternative conceptions, change of perspective, revision of implicit assumptions, intuitive arguments" from chapter 7.4.6 (page 219), I realized that history is not composed of only scattered pieces of event — the sequence of those events and their connections also constitute history. The trials and errors of our pioneers provide tremendous insights to mathematical education.