Mathematics is considered to be the oldest academic known to mankind. The changes in the teaching of mathematics run parallel to the history of the development of mathematical knowledge itself. By examining the history of this knowledge, we can see that it has been shaped by the necessities of different cultures and societies, the philosophies surrounding it and the psychology behind it. Although the structure of the teaching of mathematics has remained somewhat constant in the way that a progressive system is employed, the pedagogies of mathematics changed. Historically, teaching techniques have been adapted in response to changes in philosophical and psychological theories. Now, the imposition …show more content…
3300 BC) after the discovery of ancient mathematics on clay tablets. Excavations unearthed thousands of tablets which were found in bulk in varying locations in Nippur which have now been named “edubba”, which literally means “house of tablets” (Karp & Schubring, 2014). The inscribing, combined with the shape and size of each tablet, has provided evidence for the reconstruction of a curriculum which progresses from elementary to advanced levels of education. These tablets were all found in the same location which suggests that each level of education was taught in the same edubba rather than in separate …show more content…
In this time, “Europe was in deep slumber” (crest of the peacock). The transference of this knowledge to European colonies resulted in the production of some of the most influential mathematical knowledge.
From a political point of view, mathematical knowledge can be considered as power. The mathematisation of modern life and society has been growing exponentially, so much so that the majority of human movements are conceptualised and controlled numerically. A strong education system has become the key to the quantified thought processes that are required in modern citizens. The teaching of mathematics from an early age and throughout school years maintains the quantified social systems put in place by political